Love of Mine
by ReinadelSol
Summary: Zuko finds Aang in the iceberg and takes her to his father, who has plans for her once he discovers her gender. Zuko begins to fall for Aang and realizes he's made a terrible mistake. Rated T just to be safe
1. The Girl in the Iceberg

Zuko peered through the spyglass. The Southern Water Tribe was somewhere around here, and they could be giving the Avatar shelter. He gave an almost inaudible sigh and lowered the spyglass. Who was he kidding? The Avatar was probably dead like the rest of his people. Three long years he had searched for him, and found not a trace of the powerful bender.

He turned around, intending to return to his cabin and perhaps meditate or even take a short nap before training with Uncle. He had barely taken a step when suddenly there was a large crash and the ship jolted violently. Zuko just managed to stay on his feet. Stupid helmsman! Couldn't he even steer properly? The scarred teen whipped back around to see what they had hit.

A large iceberg was sliding up out of the water. Uncle Iroh ran onto the deck and joined Zuko in staring at it. The front of the iceberg had a large crack on it from where the ship had struck it. As Zuko and his uncle watched, a brilliant blue light shot out from the crack, nearly blinding them.

One of the crewmen shouted, "Something's in there!"

Zuko lowered his arms to see what the man was talking about. Sure enough, he saw a small shape in the center of the iceberg. He peered closer and saw that it was… a person? And above the person was another shape, this one much larger. Some sort of monster?

Zuko turned to his uncle. "Only the Avatar could make that powerful light. It must be him!" Zuko wasted no time in shouting orders to the crew to begin melting the front of the iceberg. He joined them, eager to see if his suspicions were right. With all the firebenders on the ship working on it, it didn't take long for a sizeable portion of the iceberg to be melted away. Zuko leapt into the large cavity they had made and made his way over to the person who now lay, freed from the ice, in the center. He dropped to his knees and turned the body over. His eyes instantly went to the forehead and saw a bright blue arrow, the sign of an Airbending master. And if it was an Airbender, than it had to be the Avatar. He had finally found him! He tore his eyes away from the arrow and surveyed the rest of the Avatar. He had long, black hair and his face was unwrinkled and rather feminine. Still a child, then? The iceberg must have kept him from aging. Zuko's eyes continued to travel down the Avatar's body. When his eyes reached the chest, he knew he had been wrong about more than just the Avatar's age. They were small, but the Avatar undoubtedly had breasts. He had been assuming all along that the Avatar would be male, as the majority of past Avatars were. Well, none of this really mattered anyways. Zuko could have cared less whether the Avatar had two heads, as long as she was in his clutches. He was going home and his father would be so proud! He scooped up the young girl and handed her to his uncle before leaping back onto the ship.

"So, the Avatar is a girl?" Uncle Iroh was clearly surprised. "And still very young." He lay her gently down on the deck of the ship and turned to his nephew, who was still trying to figure out what that other shape in the iceberg was. It was still mostly frozen, luckily. "That, Prince Zuko, is a flying bison. Must be the Avatar's pet. Most of the Air Nomads had them."

"Are they vicious beasts? What should we do with it?"

The retired general chuckled before replying. "Vicious? No, I don't believe so. Why don't we unfreeze it and bring it with? The Avatar will want it with her when she awakens. We should try to make her as comfortable as possible on her journey with us."

"Why should I care about making the Avatar comfortable? She's not on a vacation. She's our prisoner!"

"She will be more inclined to stay on the ship willingly if it is a friendly atmosphere."

"Ah, good idea Uncle. Who knows how long she's been frozen in that iceberg? Perhaps she knows nothing of the war and will be able to view us as friends. Unfreeze the beast!"

The crew followed their new orders promptly. Zuko turned his attention to the Avatar, who was still lying motionless on the floor. "Why hasn't she awoken yet? She's not dead, is she?" He watched her closely and was relieved to see her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Her eyes remained closed however and she continued to sleep.

"She'll probably wake up soon. It might be best if it is somewhere other than on the floor of your ship," his uncle advised him.

Zuko nodded and scooped the Avatar up again. She was small and light, so he brought her below deck easily. He entered his room and placed her on his bed. This would have to do for now until he could have another room set up for her. He fought the urge to bind her hands and feet with rope or even chain. He was just leaving the room when he heard a small noise from the girl. He rushed to the side of the bed, ready to act if she showed any signs of trying to escape. Her eyes fluttered open and he saw that they were a stormy grey color. She looked at him quizzically and sat up. He knew he should do something to reassure her, so he attempted a smile. She instantly smiled back.

"Hi!" she said brightly. She jumped up from the bed and Zuko had to squash the impulse to grab her and hold her down. What if she did know about the war and she tried to escape? She looked around the room curiously before turning back to Zuko. "Where am I?"

"This is my room. On my ship. My crew and I found you frozen in an iceberg."

"In an iceberg? Well, thanks for getting me out!"

"Yeah, no problem. We're unfreezing your beast now."

She raised an eyebrow. "My beast? You mean Appa? He was frozen too?"

"It has a name? I mean, yes, _Appa_ was frozen too." He had to be careful to not offend her.

As if he had heard his name being spoken, a loud bellowing from the creature was heard from above. The girl's face lit up and she dashed towards the door. Zuko launched himself in front of her, blocking the doorway.

"What are you doing? I want to go see Appa!" the Avatar said excitedly. She tried to squeeze around Zuko and he grabbed her shoulders. He released her almost immediately and took a deep breath. She was not trying to escape; she just wanted to see her pet. He had to stop acting like he was trying to imprison her or she would get suspicious.

"Sorry, I just… want to make sure you're feeling ok before you run around. After all, who knows how long you were frozen in that iceberg?"

"I feel great! I was probably only in there for a few days!" She shrugged and smiled again. "Thanks for your concern though!"

Zuko stepped aside and let her dart upstairs. He followed her closely. She ran over to the bison and hugged his massive head.

"Appa! I'm so glad you're ok!" The bison bellowed again and licked the small girl, coating her in slobber. Zuko was disgusted, but the Avatar just giggled. She continued to pet the animal as Zuko approached.

"So, you're an Airbender, right?"

She nodded. "Sure am. My name's Aang, by the way. What's yours?"

"Zuko."

"Nice to meet you Zuko! You're from the Fire Nation? And this is your ship?"

"Yes, I'm traveling with my uncle." She didn't seem alarmed about him being Fire Nation, so he figured she had probably been frozen in that iceberg for a lot longer than a few days. He was certainly not going to tell her that though. Or anything about what had happened in the world while she had been frozen. Hopefully, he could keep her on the ship until they reached the Fire Nation and she wouldn't hear anything about the war.

"That's nice! I like traveling too. Is your ship new? It looks a lot different than the ships I saw last time I visited the Fire Nation."

"Yes, it's a new style."

She hummed happily and looked around the ship. "It's smaller than most of the ships I've seen, but it's nice!"

Zuko couldn't keep himself from smiling. She trusted him so easily already. This was going to be easy. "Why don't you travel with us for a while? I could have a room set up for you and there's plenty of hay for Appa."

She looked conflicted and turned her face up towards the sky. "I don't know… I should probably get home. The nuns will be wondering where I am."

Zuko thought fast. He had to keep her on the ship. Luckily, his uncle stepped in.

"Why don't you at least stay for a few nights? We have Music Night tomorrow, and Zuko plays the Tsungi horn very well. It would be a shame for you to miss it."

Aang made her mind up fast. "Ok, I'll stay! Appa's probably too tired to do any flying now anyways. Aren't you buddy?" She crooned to her loyal pet. He groaned in agreement. She flashed a smile at Zuko and his uncle. "Music Night sounds really fun! I can't wait to hear you play the Tsungi horn, Zuko!"

Zuko forced himself to smile back. If he had to play the Tsungi horn to keep the Avatar on his ship, he would play constantly the whole way home.


	2. The Avatar Returns

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! _

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><p>Zuko led Aang below deck and showed her to her room. He had made his soldiers set up the room right across from his own so that he would be able to keep an eye on her. It was smaller than his own, but had basically the same design. There was a small cot, a dresser, and a low table with several candles placed on top of it. A Fire Nation tapestry hung on the wall.<p>

"What a nice room! The one I have at the temple is smaller. And I have to share." The young Avatar bounded around the room before flopping down on the bed.

Zuko remained standing in the center of the room. "So, dinner will be in a few minutes. Would you like to join my uncle and me, or should I have someone bring you your meal in here?"

"I'll join you!" She pushed herself up off the bed and moved to stand near Zuko. "What's for dinner?"

"I'm not sure. Probably fish and rice, or some sort of vegetable. If we're lucky, it might be meat."

The raven-haired girl made a face. "I hope it's some sort of vegetable. I don't eat meat."

Zuko almost swore. He had to make sure she would be able to eat what she enjoyed or she would leave for sure! "Tell you what. Let's head down to the kitchen now and we can see what the cook has planned. If there isn't anything you like, I can have him cook something else."

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><p>Luckily, Uncle had remembered that Air Nomads were vegetarians and he had alerted the cook already. Zuko was relieved to see that a vegetable casserole had been made. As he watched the Avatar happily eat the meal, he decided it was the perfect opportunity to question her.<p>

"So, you're a master Airbender already? How old are you?"

The girl beamed, obviously proud of mastering her art earlier than most. "I'm almost thirteen. I've had my tattoos for almost a year."

"Can you show us any moves? I haven't really seen much airbending." Zuko was almost positive that Aang was the Avatar, but he wanted to make sure. Seeing her airbend would be the first step.

"I'd love to!" Aang smiled widely and stood up from the table. She reached into her shirt and pulled out several marbles. She proceeded to spin the marbles rapidly above her palm using airbending. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Zuko smiled politely. "Yes, very cool." He waited until Aang had shoved the marbles back into her shirt and sat back down before moving on to his next question.

"The current Avatar is supposed to be an Airbender. Did you ever meet him? Or her? Or maybe, you are the Avatar? After all, you have mastered Airbending already." He watched her face closely as she answered.

"Nope. I knew people who knew him, but I didn't. Sorry." She looked away quickly after answering and changed the subject by asking Iroh to pass the casserole.

Zuko gave an inward sigh of relief. Her answer had been an obvious lie. She was the Avatar, and therefore his ticket home.

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><p>Zuko awoke suddenly and sat up in bed. Then the same noise that had awoken him was heard again. A young girl's scream. At first he was confused. What was a girl doing on his ship? Then he remembered; the Avatar! He jumped out of bed and wrenched his door open, hurrying to the room across from his own. He pulled the door open after a moment's hesitation and stepped into the room.<p>

It was dark, but his eyes adjusted quickly and he was soon able to make out the shape of the Avatar in the cot. She was curled on her side, facing towards the wall, making little whimpering noises. Her body tensed and he could tell she was about to scream again. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to wake her up from what was obviously a nightmare.

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled away from Zuko. "What are you doing in my room?" She seemed slightly out of breath.

Zuko realized uncomfortably that the Avatar was only half-clothed. She had removed her pants and shirt to sleep, leaving her with only the narrow bindings around her chest and her underwear. She realized at almost the same time Zuko did that she was half-naked and her face flushed in embarrassment. She snatched the blankets and drew them up to her chin.

"Um, sorry. You were having a nightmare. Your screams woke me up and I came to see what was wrong." Zuko noticed her staring at his chest and realized he had forgotten to put on a shirt before leaving his room.

Aang tore her eyes away from Zuko's well-sculpted torso and blushed again. _Great, _she thought. _Now he's seen me half-naked and I'm staring at him like I've never seen a man without a shirt on. And I screamed like a baby and woke him up. _

"Do you want to talk about it?" He was staring at her with concern in his golden eyes. Or maybe he was just annoyed. He was rather hard to read.

"Talk about what?" She wondered how old he was, and how he had received that scar over the left side of his face.

"Your nightmare. I assume you don't scream in the middle of the night for fun?"

"Oh. No, screaming isn't really a hobby of mine these days." She sighed and leaned back against her pillow. "It was just a stupid nightmare. Sorry for waking you up."

She expected him to leave the room, and was surprised when he sat down on the end of the bed.

"Look, I used to have a lot of nightmares when I was younger. My uncle made me talk about them, and I usually felt better after that."

She looked curious. "What were your nightmares about?"

"I don't want to talk about them right now!" He winced. He had to be open and friendly with her if he wanted to make her stay. "Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. But we should be talking about your nightmare, not the ones I used to have."

She sighed. "Ok. It wasn't just some nightmare though. It actually happened. Appa and I were caught in this storm and were knocked into the ocean. I think that's how we got frozen in the iceberg."

"Why were you flying during a storm?"

She looked away and answered so quietly Zuko had to lean forward to hear her. "I ran away from my temple. I was angry at the nuns, and I just wanted to get out… get away from all their expectations and demands. I didn't think about where I was going. I just left. It was dark and windy and pouring rain. The next thing I knew, we were in the ocean. I thought we were going to die."

"Why did you run away? You were just tired of living at the temple?"

She shook her head. "I love living at the temple. There's a nun there, she's like a mother to me." She lifted her head. "The reason I left… I lied before, when you asked me about the Avatar." She took a deep breath. "The Avatar is me. The nuns told me shortly before I ran away. They were going to send me to another temple. I was sick of training all the time. I didn't want all that responsibility."

Zuko felt slightly sick. He had been thinking of the Avatar as simply an all-powerful being, someone without emotions. But Aang wasn't like that at all. Seeing her like this, vulnerable and conflicted, made him realize that she was, indeed, only a child. Capable of great things, yes, but still just human.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Aang yawning. He stifled a yawn of his own and stood up from the bed.

"We should get to sleep. Are you going to be ok now?"

She nodded and graced him with a small smile. "Thanks, Zuko. Talking about it did help."

He found himself smiling back. "Look, you are the Avatar. But you are just a kid too. Don't feel so bad about making mistakes."

He left the room, wondering why he felt inclined to smile at her so often. She was his prisoner; he couldn't forget that.


	3. Music Night

_Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and those who are reading!_

_Grimlock the King of Stories: I agree with you! :-) Having Aang turn into a girl through a potion, spell, etc. just wouldn't work the same way!_

_DayMoon89: I'm glad you like it! _

_Carrot-Bunny: The idea just popped into my head one day and I was like "OMG, I have to write this!" And don't worry, Sokka, Katara, and Toph will make an appearance eventually! And Momo!_

_Zutarafan14: Thanks, I'll keep the updates coming!_

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><p>Aang was perched on the railing of the upper deck, watching Zuko train with his uncle. She had never seen anyone firebend the way he was. He was obviously talented and probably close to becoming a master. But she didn't like how all his moves seemed to be fueled by anger. When she had watched Kuzon bend, it had seemed so much more beautiful and effortless. Zuko did seem to be more of an aggressive person than Kuzon though. Maybe he released all of his frustrations through bending? She knew if she did that when training with the nuns, they would quickly scold her and make her meditate until she calmed down.<p>

Finally, Uncle told Zuko that he had trained enough for the day. Zuko gave a short bow to his teacher. Aang jumped down from the railing and skipped over to Zuko.

"Now that you're done training, it's time for some real fun!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him over to where she had been sitting moments before.

Zuko looked over the side and saw Appa swimming beside the ship. He would never admit it to anyone, but the beast was rather intimidating. He much preferred his Komodo Rhinos, although sometimes they foamed at the mouth and were hard to control.

"I think Appa is well-rested by now! So are you ready?" She danced in place excitedly.

"Ready for what?"

"To fly of course! It's so much fun, you're going to love it!" Aang hopped over the side and onto Appa's head, grabbing up the reins. "Come on, he won't bite!"

Zuko did really not want to do this. But he had to continue to keep her happy, which meant playing along with all her little games. He groaned and dropped over the side into the saddle. He gripped the sides tightly. He hoped Aang knew how to control the animal.

"All ready? Great! Appa, yip-yip!" She flapped the reins and Zuko tightened his death grip on the saddle.

They soared into the air and Aang gave a whoop of joy. Zuko bit back a scream.

"Isn't this fun?" She dropped the reins and joined Zuko in the saddle as they climbed higher and higher into the air.

"Shouldn't you be steering?" He gulped. This was not the way he wanted to die.

"Nah, Appa can handle it. Watch this!" She grabbed her staff and leapt off the side.

Zuko almost lunged out of the saddle after her, trying to rescue her from plummeting to the ocean below. "AANG! NOOO!" He finally had the Avatar and she committed suicide right in front of him? How was he going to explain this to his father?

He heard a giggle behind him and turned to see Aang flying easily in the air. Her staff had turned into a glider.

"Did you think I was trying to kill myself?" She giggled again.

"That was not funny." He scowled. "What if your glider-thingy didn't open up?"

She closed the glider and dropped back into the saddle. "It always opens up; you just have to use airbending. And if for some reason it didn't, Appa would have caught me." She laughed. "It _was_ pretty funny. _AANG! NOOO!_" She did a very poor imitation of his voice.

Zuko found himself chuckling. "Ok, so maybe it was a little funny." As long as no one else found out about his mistake, that is. He had an image to maintain.

They flew for a bit longer before returning to the ship. Appa landed on the deck and allowed his passengers to jump off before he returned to the sky.

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><p>Aang clapped her hands to the beat of the song. It was Music Night, and Uncle hadn't been lying when he said Zuko could play the Tsungi horn well. He really didn't seem like the kind of guy who would have any musical talent, but he did. One guy-she thought his name was Ji-had sung a stirring love song that she had especially enjoyed. She was sad that tonight would be her last night with Zuko and his crew, but she knew she should get back to the temple. Running away had been foolish and cowardly, and she needed to apologize. She hadn't wanted to be the Avatar and have all these responsibilities, but she couldn't change who she was. She would just have to accept it and do her best to do what the nuns expected of her. The song finished and everyone applauded. The crew members who had participated stood up and returned to their posts. Aang saw Zuko going below deck and followed him after bidding Iroh good-night.<p>

"You really can play the Tsungi horn well. I was surprised. You don't really seem like the musical type."

He turned to look at her as they walked down the hallway to their rooms. "My parents expected my sister and me to be well-educated. We learned lots of different things in school."

"You have a sister? How old is she?"

"A couple years younger than I am. Her name is Azula."

Aang frowned. He had said his sister's name with such disdain! "You don't get along?"

"We're… incredibly different people. She's a firebending prodigy. Everything's always come easily to her. I'm not so fortunate."

"Sometimes people are just lucky. You can't hate them for that."

"You don't understand. She treats everyone else like they're the dirt beneath her feet."

They reached their rooms and opened their respective doors. Aang studied Zuko's face closely. The contempt he had for his sister was written all over his face. She decided to change the subject.

"I should probably leave in the morning. Thanks again for getting Appa and me out of that iceberg! It was really nice meeting you." She hated saying goodbye, but she needed to get back to the temple.

Zuko's heart began to beat faster. This was not good! She couldn't leave, not when he was so close to returning home! They had been traveling at full speed since she had been found, and were now only a day away from the Fire Nation.

Aang raised an eyebrow. Why did Zuko look panicked? "Um, you ok there?"

Zuko quickly got himself under control. He hadn't wanted to do it this way, but it looked like he would have to. "Yeah, I'm ok."He adopted a glum expression. "It's just… we've become good friends. It'll be sad to see you go."

Aang gave a sweet smile. She hadn't realized he was so sentimental! She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug.

Zuko gave a start even though he had been hoping this would happen. Besides his uncle, Aang was the first person to hug him in almost three years. He shuffled backwards into his room, wrapping one arm around the girl to keep her against him. She giggled and shuffled forward to keep up with him.

"Wow, I didn't think you liked hugs!"She gave him one last squeeze and tried to pull away. Zuko moved his arm up however, grabbing the back of her head and pressing her face into his chest. Ok, this was getting a little weird. She tried to pull away again and he grabbed a fistful of her hair. "Ow! Let go of me!" She shoved him and pulled in the opposite direction, but his hold tightened. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry. I really didn't want to have to hurt you."

"Hurt me?" She struggled hard and was just about to attack him with her bending (he was her friend, but he was acting really strange!) when she felt pain blossom on the back of her head and somebody turned the lights out.

Zuko sighed and dropped the unconscious Avatar on his bed. He replaced the broadsword, whose blunt end he had used to hit Aang in the head with, on the wall and found some rope. He bound her hands and feet tightly and used a strip of thick cotton to gag her. That accomplished, he lifted her again and placed her on the floor.

He took the opportunity to study her. She really was pretty; silky hair, long, dark lashes, soft skin, her body beginning to show the curves of a woman. He thought about how it had felt when she had hugged him, her body pressed against his…

He blinked hard. He couldn't think about her like that! She was the Avatar, and nothing more than a prize to be delivered to his father. He banished all other thoughts from his mind, focusing on only one: how proud his father would be, and how he could shove his accomplishment down Azula's throat. People had been searching for the Avatar for a hundred years, and after only three, Zuko had found her. He was a failure no more. He undressed and climbed into bed, the sound of Aang's breathing a constant reminder of his long-awaited success.


	4. Homecoming

_Hello, dear readers! Hugs to everyone who reviewed (I won't bash you over the head, either!)._

_Zutarafan14: Yes, he was! Poor Aang._

_Carrot-Bunny: Don't worry, Appa hasn't been forgotten!_

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><p>Something wasn't right. Appa could tell. He had landed on the deck of the ship last night and found someone had put out some hay and a few cabbages for his dinner, but Aang had been nowhere in sight. She never went to sleep without telling him good-night! He had eaten slowly, waiting for his master to come, but she never had. Eventually he had fallen asleep, hoping that, even though it hurt his feelings, she had simply forgotten. If she hadn't forgotten, then something must have happened to her.<p>

Appa woke with the sun in the morning and saw several crewmen approaching him with more hay. They quickly threw it down and ran back to their posts. He ate it quickly and looked around the ship. He saw the short, fat man and the tall, scarred teen, but he couldn't see Aang anywhere. He stomped over to the scarred teen; Aang had been spending a lot of time with him lately.

"Uncle! I forgot about her beast! What am I supposed to do with it?"

Appa snorted. He couldn't understand the boy's words, but his tone was angry. Appa moved closer.

"Aagh! Go away!" The boy produced a large wave of fire and sent it rushing towards Appa, who lifted himself into the air to avoid it. Something was obviously wrong if Aang's recently-made friend was treating him like this! He landed on the ship again with a thud and roared, approaching his new enemy menacingly. Another wave of fire was pushed his way and he barely managed to avoid it. He flew into the air again and realized they were quickly approaching land. He hovered above the ship, deciding to wait until he spotted Aang to make his next move. If they were going to land, maybe it was because she had fallen ill and they needed to find a doctor. Still, he watched the crew carefully, watching for any sign of what had happened to his best friend.

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><p>Aang tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her head and concentrated on loosening the bindings around her wrists. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew being tied up was not a good position to be in. Unfortunately, whoever had done this had made sure the ropes were extremely tight and her struggling wasn't getting her far. She groaned through her gag. At least they hadn't blindfolded her. She was still in Zuko's room, and he had been the one to bash her over the head, so she couldn't deny the fact that he was probably the one who had tied her up. Why, though? Did he think the nuns would pay a hefty ransom for her? Was it something to do with her being the Avatar? Or was it just some cruel practical joke? Zuko did seem like the sort of person who would have a dark sense of humor. Taking advantage of her hug to bash her over the head was about the worst thing anyone had ever done to her! If this was a joke, and Zuko thought it was funny, their friendship wasn't going to last much longer.<p>

She unexpectedly heard a roar from above. Appa! He must have realized she was missing! Her heart lifted. If Appa was still out there, there was a chance she could get out of this mess. She listened hard, trying to hear any other noises from above.

Footsteps. She froze. They were coming closer. The door to the room was wrenched open and in stepped Zuko. She looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Awake, are we?" He walked over to her and grabbed her wrists, checking to make sure the ropes were still tight. When he moved down to check the ropes around her feet, she raised her legs swiftly, effectively kneeing him in the throat. He swore colorfully, albeit a bit strangled.

"Look, fighting back isn't going to do anything! You're not going to be able to get free!" Either he was a really good actor, or this wasn't a practical joke.

Aang quickly switched to her next tactic. She made choking, coughing noises. Hopefully, Zuko would remove the gag and she could then question him.

Zuko wasn't fooled so easily. He chuckled amusedly and shook his head. "Don't bother. I know you're not choking. If you need a drink of water, you can have one when we get there. Shouldn't be long now."

Aang made a questioning noise. What? Where were they going? She was just about to try and scream through the gag until he gave her some answers, when the ship jolted and she fell on her back. Ouch.

Zuko's face lit up and he ran from the room.

Aang made a sour face. What a jerk.

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><p>There she was! The scarred teen was carrying her over his shoulder. Appa flew closer so he could see better. Rage swept through him when he saw that Aang was all bound up with rope. He landed in front of them and charged at Zuko, who backed up rapidly, almost dropping Aang. If Zuko dropped Aang, he could snatch her up in his paws or even his mouth and fly her to safety! She would be bruised from the fall, but it was better than being a prisoner. Then he could find some nice people and they could free her from the ropes. He was about to charge again when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He turned his head to see a large dart sticking out of his right flank. He ignored it and started to rush at Zuko, even as he started to feel dizzy. Another sharp pain was felt in his side, and as strong and fueled by anger as he was, the Komodo Rhino tranquilizer that Zuko's soldiers had shot into him was powerful. He passed out.<p>

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><p>Aang screamed through the gag. What had they done to Appa? She saw Iroh approach.<p>

"He will be fine. We've given him some tranquilizer at my nephew's request so that you can be safely transported from the ship." He looked apologetic. "I'll make sure Appa is taken care of well. I promise."

Aang blinked back tears. She could only hope that Iroh could be trusted.

Zuko rolled his eyes. Uncle was so soft. He marched past the now slumbering Sky Bison and descended the gangway. His first steps on Fire Nation land in three years. Several servants stepped forward to relieve him of his burden of the Avatar, but he shook his head. He wasn't taking any chances. He would personally deliver the Avatar to his father.

Zuko stepped into a waiting palanquin, dropping Aang on the seat before sitting down. She tried to twist away from him, succeeding but only because she fell on the floor. She looked up at him, scowling. He left her there and ordered the palanquin bearers to move faster.

He was surprised to find he was nervous. He would be facing his father for the first time since his banishment. Taking several deep breaths, he calmed himself. He had found the Avatar. That meant his honor was restored. His father would welcome him back with pride.

It took only a few minutes to arrive at the palace. Zuko scooped up Aang and stepped out. His uncle joined him, and they entered the palace together.

Aang struggled fiercely, but Zuko only tightened his hold on her. She glanced around. They were in the Fire Nation Palace! Why? She was so confused! She twisted her head to look at Iroh, her eyes pleading. He had said he would help Appa. Maybe he could help her too? Iroh barely shook his head, sympathy in his eyes. It seemed like he didn't like what was happening, but for some reason he didn't want to act.

She looked forward. They were approaching a large, ornate door. She felt Zuko take a deep breath and slow his steps. Something on the other side of that door was making him hesitate. She held her breath, hoping that he would change his mind and turn around.

He didn't. After a brief pause, he continued on, faster than before, until they were right in front of the door.

"Are you ready, Prince Zuko?" Iroh placed a reassuring hand on his nephew's shoulder.

Aang's eyes widened. Prince? Zuko was a prince? But that wasn't right. The Fire Nation had no prince. Fire Lord Sozin didn't have any children yet.

Zuko looked down at his uncle. "I'm ready." He shifted Aang on his shoulder and pushed the door open.


	5. Confusion

_Longest chapter yet! Yay! _

_Zutarafan14: She's going to wish she never woke up... but some of her confusion is cleared up. _

_Carrot-Bunny: Appa will return! :) See, I was confused about how Avatar Sozin ruled for ninety years too, so I checked on Avatar Wiki. It says the comet came twelve years after Roku died, and that's when he wiped out the Air Nomads. Of course, Aang was already frozen in the iceberg. Then it says Sozin lived twenty more years after the comet which is when he had his son Azulon and started the sport of hunting the dragons. He died when he was 102. I try not to think about how he convinced some poor woman to have a son with him when he was an old man. Yuck! _

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><p>Flames surrounded the throne, a barrier between the Fire Lord and those brave (or foolish) enough to visit him. His face was expressionless as he saw his son for the first time in three years. His eyes lingered briefly on the scar covering Zuko's left eye, and the corners of his mouth barely turned upwards. Zuko would never forget that lesson he had taught him so long ago.<p>

He paused in his scrutiny of the new visitors when he saw the person Zuko had slung over his shoulder. She was fidgeting, trying to loosen her captor's grip on her. She finally looked up, her hair falling away from her face, and Ozai saw the person his family had been trying to find for a hundred years.

"Fire Lord Ozai. I bring you the Avatar." Zuko bowed low and placed Aang on the floor in front of him. She looked at him, bewilderment in her stormy grey eyes. He felt a twinge of guilt, but it was quickly erased when he heard his father speak.

"Zuko, my son. I banished you three years ago, giving you the task of finding the Fire Nation's ultimate enemy, the Avatar, before you could return home. In bringing the Avatar to me today, your honor is restored, and the Nation welcomes their Prince home."

Zuko's heart swelled with pride. He bowed again. "Thank you father!"

Aang looked back and forth between Zuko and the man sitting behind the flames. She tried to organize all the information she had just learned. Zuko was a prince, he had been banished three years ago with the task of finding her before he could return home, his father was the Fire Lord, and his name was Ozai, and she was an ultimate enemy of the Fire Nation? Nothing was making sense. And she didn't like this Ozai guy. What kind of guy banished his own son? Why had he looked at her so… hungrily before?

"So, this is the Avatar. Tell me, how did you manage to find her?"

"She was frozen in an iceberg, Father. That must be how she has managed to elude us for a hundred years. She was hidden beneath the surface of the ocean the whole time."

Aang felt fear trickle like sweat down her spine. A hundred years? She hadn't been frozen in the iceberg for a hundred years; that was impossible! Did she look like a 112 year old woman to them? But… it did explain why everything was so strange. Why it was Ozai sitting on the throne instead of Sozin, why Zuko's ship was a much different style than the ones she remembered. Something must have happened with the world when she had been frozen, something big with the Fire Nation.

"Zuko, perhaps we should remove the Avatar's gag and give her some water? And I do believe she would like to know what's going on."

Aang gave Iroh a grateful look. At least someone was on her side- kind of.

Zuko looked to his father, who nodded.

"Take her to your room and do what you wish. I trust you won't let her escape after all you've done to bring her here. I must talk to one of my advisors, and then her fate will be decided. That is all." It was a dismissal. Zuko grabbed Aang again and left the room, his uncle on his heels. It was nice to be home, but it was strange too.

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><p>His room was just the same as he had left it. The familiarity was comforting. He could pretend that he had never left, that the banishment had just been a bad dream. Then he saw his reflection in the mirror above his dressing table and scowled. He would never be able pretend it had never happened, not when he was constantly reminded every time he looked in a mirror.<p>

He sat Aang in a chair and tentatively removed her gag.

"What's going on? Why did you bring me here? Why is your father-" Her voice broke and she coughed.

Iroh entered the room with a tray of food and a glass of water. "Here, drink this." He put the glass at her lips and she gulped it eagerly.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. "Is Appa ok?"

"He's fine, probably just about to wake up. I'll keep him safe." Iroh tried to reassure the young girl. He could tell she was confused and scared, and he didn't have the heart to tell her that she was in much more danger than her bison was. "Zuko, Ozai requested that she be given this… medicine to make her more manageable. I'll leave you to it while I go check on Appa." He handed Zuko a small vial of greenish liquid and gave a short bow to Aang before leaving the room.

Aang made a face. "If you think I'm going to drink that, you're crazy."

"If my father wants you to drink it, you will." Zuko uncorked the vial and moved closer.

Aang took a deep breath and blew it out powerfully, slamming Zuko back against the wall. The vial slipped from Zuko's hand and smashed on the floor, the liquid forming a small puddle.

Zuko jumped to his feet and called out for the servants standing just outside his door. When they entered he requested that they retrieve another vial of the medicine his father wanted the Avatar to take. One of the men stayed to clean up the broken vial, but the other left and soon returned with another vial of the mysterious liquid. Zuko grabbed the vial and made the men leave the room.

He stepped behind the chair Aang was sitting in. She tried to turn to see him and was surprised when he grabbed her nose and closed her nostrils. She held her breath for as long as she could, but eventually she had to open her mouth to gulp in air. When she did, Zuko quickly poured the contents of the vial into her mouth and then slammed his fist underneath her chin, forcing her to keep her mouth shut until he saw her swallow. He released her nose and let her open her mouth. She gasped and coughed, trying to expel the foul-tasting "medicine."

Zuko smiled smugly. "Told you you would drink it."

She growled at him savagely, biting back swear words she had learned from Bumi. The nuns had taught her to be a proper lady and swearing was not a good way to express anger. She didn't want to disappoint Gyatso. Wait a minute... if she had been frozen for a hundred years...

Zuko watched the Avatar and was startled when she suddenly stopped glaring at him and gave a strangled cry. She fell forward in the chair and whimpered.

He was just about to ask her what the matter was when she asked a question of her own.

"Was I really frozen in the iceberg for a hundred years?"

"Well, you've been missing for a hundred years, so I'm assuming yes."

She gave a wail. Zuko stepped back, alarmed. He heard quiet sobbing coming from beneath the curtain of Aang's hair.

"Aang? Um…" He took a few steps forward.

She looked up without warning, the sobbing ceasing, although tears were still streaming down her cheeks. "Don't! Obviously the only reason I'm important to you is because I'm the Avatar! You don't see me as a real person! You don't care about me! So don't pretend you do!" She yelled as loud as she could while trying to hold back sobs. She dropped her head again and her hair fell forward, obscuring her next words. "I don't even know why I'm here," she sobbed. "A hundred years… all my friends…" She fell silent.

Guilt flooded Zuko. She had realized that all of her friends were probably dead. What she didn't know was that all of her people had been brutally murdered. He sighed. He didn't like seeing her cry, and it hurt that she had yelled at him, even though he knew he deserved it. He stepped outside of his room to give her some privacy and to ask the servants what exactly the liquid he had forced her to drink would do to her.

"It's an anti-bending serum, Prince Zuko, sir. The Avatar is now as defenseless as a non-bender. It takes effect almost immediately."

Zuko went back into his room after instructing the servants to lock his door and not open it unless he told them to. He picked Aang up, who gave a cry of protest, and put her on the bed. He untied her ankles and wrists slowly while she stared at him, incredulous. His fingers lingered at her wrists, which were slightly raw from being rubbed against the rough rope.

"I'm sorry," he said, dropping her hands and backing away. He was disgusted with himself. He shouldn't have tied the ropes so tight.

She leapt off the bed and raced over to the door, fingers closing around the door handle. She groaned in disappointment when the door wouldn't open, but backed up and assumed an airbending stance. She performed the steps to produce an air slice, but nothing happened. She tried again in vain.

She stared at her hands angrily. "That stuff you made me drink. It took away my bending." She stomped over to Zuko angrily and before he could even react, slapped him. She was kind enough to make it on the right side of his face, at least.

"It's only temporary! And I didn't even know what it was until after I'd made you drink it!" He didn't want her to be any angrier at him than she already was.

"Whatever," she said bitterly and threw herself down on the bed. "I hate…" But she couldn't say it. She had never told anyone that she had hated them. She didn't want to start now. She curled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes. Maybe this whole thing was some horrible dream and when she opened them again she would be back in her room in the temple. Another tear leaked out and she wiped at it angrily. Crying never helped anything.

Zuko winced. After all he had done to her, she was still too nice to even tell him she hated him. He remembered the tray of food his uncle had brought and retrieved it before sitting on the edge of the bed. Aang didn't move.

"Would you like some food? You must be hungry."

She was. She was starving. But she wouldn't eat. "How do I know that it isn't poisoned?"

"Because my uncle brought it. You trust him, don't you?"

"I don't know. I trusted you and look where that got me. How do I know he's not just a good actor too?"

"My uncle's not like that. He's a good person." He pushed the tray across the bed. "Come on, you can't starve yourself!"

She sat up and crossed her legs, facing Zuko. The tray sat between them. "Fine. But you have to take a bite of everything first."

Zuko shrugged. He took a bite of everything on the tray while Aang watched. He finished and shoved the tray towards her. "See? It's not poisoned."

She ate slowly until the tray was empty and then lay back down on the bed with a sigh. Zuko gave the tray to the servants outside the door and asked them if there was any word from his father. They told him that there probably wouldn't be until morning. Which meant Aang would be spending the night in his room.

He let them shut and lock the door and crossed the room to his bathroom. He got ready for bed slowly, removing the fancy outfit he had worn for the day and putting on his sleeping pants.

Aang was still in the same position when he came back into the room. Her eyes were closed, but he wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not. He walked over to the empty side of the bed and pulled back the covers. He climbed in the bed hesitantly. The bed dipped slightly under his weight and he held his breath, expecting her to at least say something. After a moment, she curled into an even tighter ball on top of the covers. Zuko frowned. Seeing her like this, so broken and lifeless, wasn't right. There was nothing he could do though, at least not tonight. Tomorrow his father would reveal her fate. Perhaps Zuko could make sure it wasn't such a harsh one.


	6. The Avatar's Child

_Sorry this is so short! I've been really busy these past few days so I haven't been able to write much._

_Zutarafan14: Yes, but don't worry, Zuko behaves himself. :)_

_DayMoon89: Zuko might redeem himself in these next few chapters..._

_Carrot-Bunny: That's quite an interesting concept... Iroh is much older than Ozai, isn't he. And yes, Ozai is a creep and you hit the nail on the head! _

_treena-ivy-carter: Thanks!_

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><p>The door opened with a squeak, light from the hallway briefly shining into the room before the door was shut again. Zuko was awake instantly. He produced a flame in the palm of his hand and sat up. He glanced at the other side of the bed and saw Aang was still there, curled up in the same position and breathing slowly.<p>

"Well Zuzu, isn't this cute. The Prince in bed with the Avatar. How scandalous." Azula glided across the room, the light from Zuko's flame briefly illuminating her face.

"Azula. What are you doing in my room in the middle of the night?"

"What, no hello? Didn't you miss me big brother?" She sidled closer to the bed.

Zuko instinctively moved closer to Aang, protecting his prize. "Hello." The tone of his voice made it clear that he had not missed her. "You didn't answer my question."

"I just wanted to see the all-powerful Avatar." Her voice was sarcastic. "Quite small, isn't she? Hard to believe she would be any kind of threat to our Nation."

Zuko glanced down at the sleeping girl. It was rather absurd to believe she was a threat when you saw her like this, but he knew it would be wise to not underestimate his enemies.

"Well, I guess I'll be going. See you in the morning, Zuzu." She left just as quickly as she had come.

Zuko extinguished his flame and lay back down. Hopefully he would be able to fall back asleep before morning.

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><p>Aang was awake, but she kept her eyes tightly shut. She could hear Zuko moving around the room, probably getting ready to see his father again. She heard the door open and sprang out of bed, racing towards it and trying to get out before Zuko even realized her attempted escape. Unfortunately, he did, catching her by the arm and jerking her back harshly.<p>

"Don't even think about it. Even if you did manage to get out into the hallway, there are at least a dozen soldiers out there. Without your bending, you don't stand a chance."

Aang glared at him and tore her arm away. As much as she hated to admit it, he was probably right.

The servant who had opened the door moments before poked his head in the room, asking permission to enter. Zuko granted it and the man walked in holding several trays of various breakfast foods.

"Fire Lord Ozai requests that you both eat and then join him in the throne room as soon as possible."

"Very well. You may go now." Zuko took the trays and the servant gave a short bow before departing.

Aang looked down at the food and then back up at Zuko. He got her unspoken message, hurriedly taking a small bite of everything on one of the trays before shoving it at her.

"Eat quickly. My father doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Aang glared at him again and deliberately ate slower than she normally would. She didn't know what would happen when they saw Ozai again, but she knew it probably wouldn't be good, at least not for her.

Zuko wolfed his breakfast down and ran to the bathroom to check his appearance. He had to look like the perfect prince again. He nodded, satisfied.

Back in the room, Aang was slowly raising a muffin to her mouth, pausing to inspect it. Zuko sighed and grabbed her arm, hauling her up and over to the door.

"Hey, I wasn't done eating!" She dug her heels into the floor and tried to pull herself from his bruising grasp.

"Too bad. We have to go." Despite her resistance, he was still stronger and was able to pull her from the room and down the hallway.

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

"You should have thought of that earlier!" His hand slipped down to her wrist and he continued to pull her along after him. Eventually they reached the throne room and Zuko entered, hoping Aang would behave herself.

Ozai sat behind the flames, face as expressionless as before. Zuko bowed, keeping his grip on Aang's wrist and forcing her to bend forward as well.

"Prince Zuko, please release the Avatar."

Zuko did so reluctantly, expecting Aang to run back to the doors. She stayed still, surprisingly, looking at Ozai with curiosity, defiance, and just a bit of fear.

Ozai swept his eyes slowly up and down her body, humming in approval.

Zuko's eyes widened in shock and disgust. Was his father checking Aang out? She was twelve for Agni's sake! Yes, she was pretty and would probably grow even more beautiful as she got older, but his father couldn't possibly be thinking of Aang the way a man thought of a woman!

Aang's mouth twisted in repulsion and she stepped back. How dare he look at her like that!

Ozai stopped his perusal and spoke to Zuko. "An advisor of mine has brought to my attention a very interesting fact, one that can be of considerable use to us since the Avatar is female." He folded his hands under his chin and glanced at Aang again before continuing. "The Avatar's child is said to be the second-most powerful bender, a fully-realized Avatar being the first, of course."

Zuko could only listen in horror.

"I am currently the greatest Firebender in the world. I have already produced a Firebending prodigy: your sister Azula. A child fathered by me, carried by the Avatar, would be one of the most powerful Firebenders in the world. Of course, there is a chance that the child would be born an Airbender. It would still be of use to us. The Avatar will join the war on our side if we promise to keep her child safe. A mother will do anything to protect her young. Then when the child is old enough, we can use its power to further our influence over the rest of the nations."

Fear struck Aang's heart and she automatically stepped behind Zuko. She didn't want that seriously disturbed man looking at her anymore.

Zuko felt Aang move behind him and protective instincts rose in him. "You want to get her pregnant?"

"Yes. Have you taken a liking to her yourself? Perhaps when I am through you can have a turn with her."

Zuko almost retched. His father was acting truly barbaric! He wanted to yell at him, to make him see that what he was planning was wrong, but he had already learned the consequences of speaking out against his father.

"That's all I wanted to talk about. You may take the Avatar back with you for now. I will send for her later."

Zuko grabbed Aang's wrist again, this time much more gently and left the room rapidly. If he stayed in there much longer, he would surely say something that would get him banished all over again.

Aang followed behind him obediently. He looked back at her and saw her face was pale and she was trembling. As soon as they were back in his room he swept her up into a tight hug. She shuddered and he found himself stroking her hair.

"I won't let him touch you. I promise."

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><p><em>Eww, bad Ozai! Hopefully Zuko can keep his promise!<em>


	7. Escape

_Here we go, chapter seven!_

_treena-ivy-carter: Yes, he probably does._

_Zutarafan14: He's a major creep._

_Redrosedragon18: He is, it's true. Thanks! _

_DayMoon89: Ozai needs a time-out. Don't worry, Aang will be ok!_

_allo: They did get there unnaturally quickly, didn't they? Oops! Aang's Avatar state will be triggered very soon and everyone will see her awesome power! :) I'd like this to have more action too, but I'm not so good at writing those types of scenes. The story does get more exciting from here and I promise I will work more on developing Aang's personality._

_Carrot-Bunny: He's nuttier than pecan pie! :)_

_starrdevil: It is gross! :) Thanks, I try to update at least every other day._

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><p>The day passed too quickly, late afternoon arriving without welcome. Aang and Zuko sat on his bed. Zuko had talked to his uncle earlier and explained the situation. His uncle had been stunned and appalled as well, and had told Zuko he would work out a way to help keep the young Avatar safe, but that it would take a while. There had been no more word from him or Ozai.<p>

Zuko placed a hand on Aang's shoulder and tried to think of something to say. Not surprisingly, he wasn't so good at this comforting thing. "Aang…"

Unexpectedly, the door opened and a servant entered. He was holding some sort of garment in his hands.

"Sir, Fire Lord Ozai has requested that the Avatar wear this." He handed the garment to Zuko, who held it out and examined it.

The strapless dress was a rich burgundy color, the bodice decorated with sequins and gold ribbon. It would probably fall to about knee-length on Aang.

"Sir, there is something else as well. He wants the Avatar to have a bath and wash her hair. Female servants will arrive in a few minutes with hot water to assist her."

Zuko nodded, becoming even more disgusted with his father. The servant left the room and Aang looked up at Zuko.

"I've never worn a red dress before. Our uniforms at the temple are always orange and yellow. And I guess I haven't had a bath in a hundred years." Her voice was faint but she tried to smile.

Zuko's heart almost broke for her. She was trying to stay positive in a situation like this?

Aang stood, stretching her stiff legs before taking the dress from Zuko and going into the bathroom. She paused and turned. "Everyone seems to think I'm helpless without my bending. I do feel like there's a part of me missing. A part of my soul, almost." She brought her eyes up to meet his and he saw them flash with defiance. "But I'm not helpless. If he thinks I'm just going to lie there quietly while he… I'm not powerless!" She spun around and stomped into the bathroom.

Zuko lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. If he didn't receive word from his uncle soon, he would have to take matters into his own hands. Aang may be ready to fight tooth and nail, but that would only get her so far.

Two girls entered the room, clutching a pot of hot water. They went into the bathroom after greeting Zuko.

After about 30 minutes, all three girls left the bathroom. The two servants bowed and left.

Zuko sat up and almost gasped. The dress fit Aang's petite figure perfectly and the shade complimented her skin tone and hair color. She smelled faintly of vanilla and lavender and her hair, still slightly damp, was left down, curling slightly at the ends. Her legs, bare from the knees down, were slender and her feet, also bare, were dainty. She looked too pretty.

"You look… amazing."

Aang frowned. She did not want to look amazing. She wanted to look vicious and unapproachable. She wished she could tear the dress, probably the prettiest one she had ever worn, into shreds and wear her comfortable temple uniform, the flowing skirt and loose top. She wanted her hair full of knots and her skin smeared with dirt. She wanted to reek of sweat, not smell sweetly of lavender bath salts and vanilla shampoo. She wanted to be ugly and unappealing. But… there was a part of her that was happy Zuko thought she looked good. She was wary of the warm feeling in her chest and stomach. Zuko was not someone she could trust.

A knock came at the door. Aang felt her heart jump into her throat. Was it Ozai? No, he wouldn't come fetch her personally. It would be one of his servants. Her heart thudded as Zuko went to open the door and she instinctually slid into an airbending position, even though she still couldn't make the air obey her.

Zuko opened the door slowly, ready to attack if someone tried to take Aang. It would immediately brand him as a traitor, but he didn't know what else he would be able to do. He had made a promise to Aang to keep her safe.

"Zuko, you look very anxious. Perhaps some tea would calm your nerves?"

Zuko let out a sigh of relief and opened the door fully to allow Iroh to enter. Aang relaxed and rushed forward to give Iroh a hug.

"Everything will be fine, young Avatar. I have made plans for your escape." The wise old man sat down and motioned to the others to do the same.

"We'll be leaving soon, so you should probably gather your things, Prince Zuko."

"Leaving? Gather my things?" Zuko was confused.

Iroh leaned back and nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. You asked me to help keep Aang safe, and the only way I can do that is to get her out of the Fire Nation. Unfortunately, when the Avatar escapes you will be blamed since she has been left under your supervision. So we must all leave."

Zuko stood and began throwing clothes into a pack. He had only been home for a few days and now he had to leave again. Uncle was right, though. He would be severely punished, probably even banished again, if his father thought he had let the Avatar escape.

"I'm sorry you have to leave when you just got back." Aang looked at both Zuko and Iroh. "Thank you for helping me. But what if we get caught? I already know my fate, but what will they do to you guys?"

Iroh smiled. "It is better to be in chains with friends, than to be in a garden with strangers."

Zuko rolled his eyes. Uncle and his proverbs. It would be better to not get caught in the first place. He finished packing and was just about to tell Aang to change back into her old clothes when another knock was heard. The person who had knocked didn't bother to wait for anyone to open the door. A few soldiers stepped into the room and crossed the room towards Aang.

"Fire Lord Ozai requests the Avatar's company. We are her escorts." They spoke simultaneously and both reached out to grab Aang's arms.

Aang backed up until she felt the bed hit the back of her legs and then flipped backwards, using her hands to spring off the bed and land on the other side. "Tell the Fire Lord I decline his request."

In the blink of an eye the soldiers were attacking her, fire rushing towards her. She dropped down and rolled beneath the bed. This was so frustrating! If she had her bending, she could take those two with one hand tied behind her back! Or maybe even both hands tied behind her back! As it was, she could still fight. She swept a leg out and knocked the soldiers' legs out from beneath them. They swore and reached under the bed to grab her.

Luckily, Iroh and Zuko stepped in before she could be burned to a crisp, quickly knocking the soldiers unconscious.

Aang rolled out from beneath the bed, her hair mussed and dress wrinkled. Her cheeks were flushed in excitement and she was beaming from ear to ear. "Ok, what's the plan? I'm all ready to kick some butt!"

"The plan is to get out of the palace, get Appa, and fly out of here. We have to be fast, silent, and smart. It would be best to not fight unless we have to. I've found a secret passage that will lead us out into the gardens, and then we just have to climb over the wall and out to Appa. He's grazing out by the stables." Iroh grabbed Zuko's bag and stuffed it up his shirt. "If someone saw us carrying this it would be a dead giveaway," he explained.

Aang ran into the bathroom and grabbed her temple uniform. "Do I have time to change or am I going to have to kick butt in a dress?"

Iroh shook his head. "Sorry, there isn't enough time. Ozai will be expecting you any moment now and he'll know there's something wrong when you don't arrive." He glanced down at her bare feet. "You should probably put your shoes on though."

Aang shrugged and stuffed the old clothes down her dress after putting her shoes on. "There! Now it just looks like I have a bigger chest. Let's go!" Her eyes sparkled and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She giggled with excitement and nervousness.

"Ok, Zuko, grab Aang's wrist and drag her down the hallway like you've done before. We've got to make people think you're bringing her to your father."

Aang held out her arm and Zuko grabbed it, although much more gently than he had previously. He turned to his uncle. "Alright, we're ready."

Uncle shifted the bag underneath his shirt to make it look more like he had suddenly just put on a few more extra pounds and opened the door. All three stepped out into the hallway, eager to escape the confines of the palace.

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><p><em>Thanks for reading!<em>


	8. The Avatar State

_Hello, dear readers! _

_FoxInForrest: Careful! Don't stub your toe again! :)_

_Carrot-Bunny: I know exactly what you mean! :) And yes, Iroh is awesome! _

_treena-ivy-carter: Aang thought it was funny too!_

_allo: As of now, Zuko is mainly focused on keeping his promise to Aang to keep her safe, but we'll see how conflicted he is about his decison to go against his father in later chapters. Thanks for the advice!_

_DayMoon89: Thanks so much! _

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><p>They walked out into the hallway, Iroh leading the way. Zuko tried to keep a bored expression on his face, like he was tired of having to drag around the Avatar. Aang stumbled along behind him with a terrified expression on her face.<p>

A soldier standing in the hallway gave a low whistle when he saw Aang. "The Fire Lord's gonna have fun tonight. Maybe after he's through you'll give me a turn, huh sweetie?" His eyes were drawn to her chest.

Aang almost vomited and giggled at the same time; she hoped her chest wasn't too misshapen from the clothes she had shoved down her dress earlier! She turned the giggle trying to escape into a whimper and shrank away from the soldier, who started to chuckle. Zuko silenced him with a glare.

They continued to make their way down the hallway, Aang pretending to try her hardest to escape. Eventually, Iroh stopped in front of a closed door and took a key out of his pocket. As he unlocked it, Aang held her breath. What if they weren't really helping her and Ozai was waiting inside? Her struggles started to become almost real and Zuko looked back at her over his shoulder, giving her a strange look. She took a deep breath and calmed down. Trusting Iroh and Zuko was the only chance she had of getting out of here.

Iroh pushed open the door and motioned to Zuko and Aang to go in. They stepped into the dark room and heard Iroh close the door behind him. He produced a small flame and shone it around the room until he found what he was looking for: a large tapestry hanging on the wall to their left. He walked over and lifted it with his free hand, revealing a narrow door without a handle.

Zuko dropped Aang's wrist and joined his uncle by the entrance to the secret passageway. "There's no handle. How are we supposed to get in?"

Iroh gave a small smile but didn't respond, instead focusing his attention on the door. He inspected it carefully, running his hand over the surface, before finding what he was looking for. "Ah, here it is!" He had found a small indentation and pressed his palm against it. With a deep breath, he shot fire from his hand, filling the indentation. The secret door scraped backwards, revealing a hidden passageway. Iroh pushed the door open enough so that they could all fit through and they entered cautiously.

"We must be very quiet going through here. We don't want people to hear us on the other side of the walls." Zuko and Aang nodded wordlessly.

A voice came through the darkness. "No, we wouldn't want anyone to hear you and ruin your escape, would we?" Azula stepped out of the shadows, a smirk on her face. She looked at Zuko, who clenched his fists. "Don't feel like sharing the Avatar with father?"

Zuko stepped forward. "You're outnumbered, Azula. Let us pass and we won't harm you."

His sister threw her head back and laughed. "Won't harm _me_? You should be more worried about _me_ harming _you_. And you've got to work on your counting, brother. It is you who are outnumbered, not I."

Aang, who had been peering into the shadows of the passageway, suddenly saw movement. People were walking towards them; soldiers, and at least thirty of them. Several stepped forward into the light cast by the flame in Iroh's palm and assumed defensive positions. She gasped and started backing away slowly.

Zuko, however, was never one to back away from a fight. Iroh joined him in an attack against Azula and her minions.

Aang pressed herself against the wall, trying to avoid all the fire blazing in the passageway. Unfortunately, she couldn't be of much use to Zuko or Iroh. But, they seemed to be doing fine on their own. Zuko was aggressive, as she had seen before while watching him train, and he seemingly fought without any sort of plan, unleashing an assault against one soldier and then quickly switching to another. Iroh was much more deliberate in his fighting. While Zuko used a series of smaller firebending moves to defeat a soldier, Iroh used only a few powerful strikes and the soldier would go down.

Aang should have been more aware of what was happening right behind her. More soldiers were rushing into the passageway, blocking all escape routes. Just as Aang heard the noises behind her and started to turn, Azula made her move. Iroh, who had been trying to focus his attention on bringing Azula down, had to switch his concentration to the soldiers approaching him from behind. Zuko was distracted by other soldiers as well, and so Azula was left free.

She ran out of the fray towards Aang, who saw her at the last minute and tried to run in the other direction. Azula was fast though and grabbed Aang's hair, snapping her head back painfully. In a flash, Aang found herself pushed down to her knees with Azula's fingers at her throat.

"Everybody stop! I have the Avatar!" Azula's voice was loud and clear and everyone extinguished their fire and turned towards the princess and Avatar. Zuko lunged forward, but Iroh threw an arm out, stopping him.

"Be careful, Zuzu. One false move and the Avatar will unfortunately be injured." She held her fingers a few inches out from Aang's neck and sent a line of blue fire out of them. Aang gulped.

Azula hauled the Avatar up and started to leave the passageway. Father would be pleased. She turned back to her traitorous uncle and brother. "I hope you enjoy your extended stay in the dungeons. Maybe we'll let you see the new baby when it's born." She looked down at Aang and laughed evilly.

Aang spat at her, the glob of spit narrowly missing her face.

"How dare you, filthy Airbender!" Azula twisted her hand deeper in Aang's hair and, with a flick of her wrist, lit it on fire.

Aang smelled burning hair and realized what Azula had done. She kicked out at the older girl, trying to make her release her grasp. Then she felt the heat on the back of her neck and screamed in fright and pain. Azula laughed again, and Aang felt anger fill her.

Zuko and Iroh tried to get to Aang and help her, but the soldiers surrounded them and they had to try to fight their way through. Zuko kicked a soldier to the ground and looked at Aang and his sister again. What he saw was quite a surprise.

Aang was off the ground, in a sphere of air, free from Azula's grasp and the fire in her hair extinguished. Her eyes and arrow tattoos were glowing and she airbended at Azula with ferocity, pushing her back against the wall. Then she turned her attention to the soldiers surrounding Iroh and Zuko, blowing them all the way out of the other end of the passage. She almost pushed Zuko and Iroh back too, but they quickly dropped to their stomachs on the ground and were able to avoid the massive rush of air. Zuko saw Azula stand and start to produce lightning, but Aang turned with a violent expression on her face and earthbended a section of the wall out, pushing Azula out the front of the passageway. Then with a slam, she earthbended the door shut. All was silent as Aang slowly lowered herself to the ground, the glowing in her eyes and tattoos fading. She stood for a minute, seemingly back to normal, and then collapsed in a faint on the ground.

Zuko ran forward, scooping up his friend. "Aang? Aang!"

She opened her eyes with effort, and smiled at him tiredly. "What happened?"

Iroh stepped forward. "We'll explain later. We have to get out of here now!"

The trio turned and moved down the passageway. Before reaching the end, Iroh paused. "The soldiers got blown down here. Wait here with Aang, Zuko."

The door at the end was already open and Iroh walked out. A few soldiers were standing, but most were unconscious on the ground. Iroh made short work of the ones standing and then motioned to Zuko, who was still carrying Aang, to follow closely. "Most of the soldiers are already down. They must have been bashed against the passageway walls."

"You said the bison's by the stables, right?"

His uncle nodded. "It's only a few minutes from here, just over this hill. But if they knew we were using the passageway to escape, they might have taken Appa somewhere else."

Aang, who Zuko thought had fallen back asleep, suddenly opened her eyes again. "Let me try calling him. He'll come, I know he will!" She called out Appa's name several times, Iroh joining her. Zuko highly doubted the bison would be able hear them and was just about to suggest they start walking when he saw the fluffy animal fly over the hill. Aang cheered and they made their way over to him.

Appa roared in happiness. It was Aang! But why was that horrible boy carrying her again? He ran towards them, happy to see the nice, fat man was there too.

Aang jumped down from Zuko's arms and waited for Appa to reach her. When he did, she flung her arms around his head and gave him a kiss on the nose. "Appa, I missed you!"

Appa licked her, covering her in slime and knocking her over. Zuko approached to help her up and Appa roared angrily at him. Aang pushed herself up to her elbows and tried to explain things to Appa. "Now, Appa, I know Zuko was mean before, but he just helped me escape. Please don't hurt him."

The bison lowed in apology and proceeded to simply ignore Zuko.

"Ok, let's get out of here!" Zuko was getting impatient. If they waited much longer, they would get caught again. He stepped forward and picked up Aang again, who didn't seem capable of getting up off the ground herself, and joined his uncle in running up the bison's tail to the saddle.

With a "yip, yip!" from Aang, they were off.

* * *

><p><em>Yay, they're free! And only one causilty: the majority of Aang's hair. <em>


	9. Deserted

_So before Aang's hair was burnt, it looked like Avatar Yangchen's. Now it is more like this: _

_h t t p : / / b l o g . l a b u r l a n d e . c o m / s s k - m a f r d 9 . h t m_

_Just remove the spaces, scroll down the page until you see a girl with a blue and white polka dot shirt with short black hair. You can click on the picture to get a close-up._

_treena-ivy-carter: Maybe if she gets mad at him! :) _

_Grimlock the King of Stories: Hopefully the link works and you can see! _

_allo: Aang's wondering the same thing._

_FireLady24: Thank you! Your wait is over for now! _

_DayMoon89: Thanks! Poor Aang, but now that her hair is shorter, people can't grab her by it anymore, right?_

_starrdevil: They've escaped, but it's never a good thing to get Azula mad, is it..._

* * *

><p>They had no idea where they were going, but Aang was glad they had made it out safely. Well, except for her hair. She searched through the bags Iroh had smartly secured on Appa's saddle when he had initially come up with the escape plan. They contained various things: food and water, sleeping bags, some medicinal plants and herbs, a teapot, her glider, and a pair of broadswords Aang not so fondly recognized as Zuko's from his ship. She pulled one out and scooted over to Zuko, handing him the sword.<p>

"Can you cut off the burnt ends of my hair? I don't care if it's even. It already looks terrible." She positioned herself so her back was facing him.

Zuko grimaced. Her hair was really a mess! Before, it had reached to about the middle of her back. Now it had been burnt off to just below chin-length in some areas, shorter in others, and the ends were ragged and scorched. He grabbed a hunk of it, slicing it off with the sword and letting the clump drift away in the wind. He continued to do this until all the burnt hair was gone. "Uncle? Did you pack any sort of burn-ointment?" The back of Aang's neck was burnt along with some of her shoulders. Not to mention the back of the dress. It had been so pretty on Aang, and now it was ruined. And her hair was all uneven. At least she wasn't being dramatic about it.

"Yes, there should be some in the small black bag." Uncle was sitting on Appa's head holding the reins. Traveling by Sky Bison was much more enjoyable than traveling by ship. He had never thought he would have this opportunity.

Zuko found the ointment and made his way back to Aang. He applied it on her skin gently. Her burns weren't anywhere near as bad as the one he had received before being banished, they probably wouldn't even scar, but he knew from experience that the ointment would sting.

Aang sat quietly while Zuko finished applying the ointment. "Thanks, Zuko. And thank you too, Iroh, for packing all this stuff." She pulled her old clothes out of her dress and stuffed them in a bag. She would have to change when they landed… wherever that may be.

Zuko cleared his throat. "Aang, what happened back there? With Azula."

"I don't really know. I just remember feeling the fire on the back of my neck and then… I woke up and I was on the ground and all the soldiers and Azula were gone." She shrugged. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Iroh joined them in the saddle. "What happened is that you went into the Avatar State, Aang. It's a defense mechanism. When an Avatar is in great danger or experiences emotional distress, it can be triggered. It allows you to use the knowledge and power of all the past Avatars. If you haven't become a fully-realized Avatar yet you have no control or memory of what you do when you're in this state."

"That's why she was able to bend, even though the anti-bending serum wasn't supposed to have worn off yet?" How did Uncle know all of this stuff about the Avatar State? Actually, Uncle knew a lot of random things.

Iroh nodded. "Yes, in fact, try bending now, Aang."

She flicked her wrist in a simple airbending move and was ecstatic when it was successful. "Yay, I can bend again!" She grabbed her glider and leapt out of the saddle, flicking it open and soaring high above Appa.

Zuko watched her, pleased that she was happy again. Aang was his first friend, other than Uncle, in over three years.

"Zuko." Iroh brought Zuko's attention away from the girl. "She has to be told about what happened to her people. I was planning on us spending the night at the Western Air Temple, and she's going to notice it's deserted."

Zuko sighed. If he told her about what his nation had done to her people and the world while she had been gone, he probably wouldn't have a friend anymore. "Ok. I'll tell her when we get there."

* * *

><p>They arrived shortly after the sun had set. Aang had returned from flying around on her glider and was resting in the saddle. She was still tired from earlier. Uncle turned to Zuko and gave him a pointed look. It was time to tell her.<p>

"Aang? There's something really important I have to tell you."

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes lazily and sat up. "Is it good news or bad news?"

"Bad, I'm afraid." Zuko looked at his uncle pleadingly. Maybe he could tell her? Uncle was so much better with words than Zuko was.

Aang frowned and lay back down. "Don't tell me until tomorrow then. And not until I've had a world-famous Air Nomad fruit pie for breakfast."

Zuko contemplated jumping off the side of the bison. "It can't wait. Aang, a lot has happened since you've been in the iceberg." He decided to get right to the point before he changed his mind. "You won't be having a fruit pie for breakfast. The Air Temple is deserted."

Aang sat up rigidly. "What do you mean? Why would it be deserted?" Her voice was sharp.

"Because…a hundred years ago Fire Lord Sozin started a war against the other nations. He knew the next Avatar would be born an Air Nomad, so he eliminated all the Airbenders. I guess you were already frozen in the iceberg by that time."

For a moment, Aang didn't say anything. Zuko was a little frightened by her lack of reaction.

Then she laughed, but it sounded forced. "That's impossible! You can't get rid of an entire race of people! They're… probably just in hiding or something."

Zuko could tell she was trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince him. "I'm really sorry, Aang."

She turned away, staring over the side of the saddle. "I knew there was a war from what your father was saying. It's my job to stop it, you know." She looked at him, her eyes piercing into his. "Did you just help me escape because your father is a creep or because you don't agree with this war?"

Zuko opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again. He couldn't tell her because he didn't know the answer himself. He agreed his father was a creep, but he didn't know if he wanted to go so far as to believe that his whole nation was in the wrong. Luckily, he was spared having to formulate an answer when Iroh announced that they would be landing.

* * *

><p>The Western Air Temple was just as Zuko remembered when he had first seen it on his journey to find the Avatar. He found the quiet emptiness rather peaceful, but he could tell Aang was disturbed by it.<p>

She had jumped off Appa before they had even touched the ground, using a cushion of air to slow her fall, before running into the depths of the temple. Zuko and Iroh had unpacked the things, started a fire, and made dinner before she had returned, head hanging.

"You're right. It's deserted." With that, she sat down and didn't say anything else, accepting a bowl of soup from Zuko and eating it mechanically.

Iroh waited until everyone had finished eating before bringing up the question that had been on his mind for a while. "Aang, I've only ever seen you airbend except when you were in the Avatar State. Is Airbending the only thing you know currently?"

She nodded. "I haven't been taught anything else yet."

"You must learn to bend the other elements if you want to stop the war."

Zuko frowned at his uncle. Helping the Avatar escape being raped and impregnated was reasonable, but telling her how she could defeat the Fire Nation? What side of the war was his uncle on?

"Waterbending, Earthbending, Firebending. That's the order the nuns told me I had to learn them in."

"So you must find a Waterbending master to teach you."

"How about the Southern Water Tribe? There should be a master there."

"The Southern Water Tribe had been weakened considerably by the war. It is much smaller than it used to be. The people are scattered in tiny villages and settlements across the Pole. I don't believe there are any Waterbenders left, but we could see."

"Yes, I would like to go there. And if I don't find a teacher there, we'll go to the Northern Water Tribe."

Zuko noticed Iroh and Aang were using "we." Did Uncle plan on traveling with the Avatar now? Zuko laid out his sleeping bag and crawled into it discontentedly. Aang was his friend, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to travel all over the world with her trying to help her get powerful enough to defeat his own nation. He closed his eyes, planning on waking early in the morning to discuss his thoughts with Uncle.

* * *

><p><em>So, they're going to the Southern Water Tribe, which means... Sokka and Katara are going to be introduced in the story! But, is Aang going alone, or will Iroh and Zuko join her?<em>


	10. The Southern Water Tribe

_Thanks to everyone who's reading!_

_Xxsarbear-chanxX: Ozai is gross, luckily we get a break from him for a while! _

_treena-ivy-carter: Fortunately, Zuko is nicer than he gives himself credit for. And he likes Aang more than he admits. :)_

_Carrot-Bunny: There probably won't be Kataang, but they'll have a very close sisterly relationship. _

_Jak Spratt: Thank you! I hoped the dress would help people imagine her appearance better._

_DayMoon89: Sorry to keep you waiting, this one took a while!_

_allo: You're right of course! :) We'll see how Katara's and Sokka's relationship with Zuko and Iroh develops as the story continues._

* * *

><p>"Uncle, we can't travel with the Avatar! That's beyond treason!" Zuko tried to speak quietly, as Aang was still asleep on Appa's soft tail, but trying to make his uncle see sense was not easy in a whisper.<p>

"I thought Aang was your friend, Zuko. You helped her escape from the Fire Nation. Surely you don't plan on bringing her back?" Iroh peered up at his nephew over their breakfast of sweet rolls and dried fruit.

"Yes, she's my friend! But… I can't choose her over our nation! We can't help her learn the other elements, because then she'll attack the Fire Nation!"

Iroh was silent, frustrating Zuko even further. The teen was about to say more when he saw Aang stretch her arms above her head. She was awake.

She lifted herself up and gracefully walked over to her companions. "Good morning!" Her voice was cheerful but Zuko saw her eyes were slightly puffy and red. She must have been crying last night, and he hadn't noticed. He was surprised to find he felt guilty about this, as if it was his responsibility to comfort her. He handed the girl a roll and some fruit and returned her greeting.

Appa ambled off to find some breakfast of his own, making sure not to go too far away. The fat Firebender was kind, but he still didn't trust the one with the scar.

"After breakfast, do you guys want to explore the temple? There's a giant Pai Sho table and an all-day echo chamber, and lots of other cool things!" Aang bounced from foot to foot excitedly.

Uncle smiled kindly at her. "A giant Pai Sho table is something I would certainly like to see, but perhaps another time. We should get going. Fire Lord Ozai will have sent people after us, and this temple will be someplace they'll search."

Aang's face fell. "Oh, yeah. I didn't think about that. In that case, as soon as Appa's done eating we should leave." She stuffed the last bit of her breakfast into her mouth and ran over to her bison, presumably to tell him they were leaving soon.

Zuko watched her unhappily. She was still wearing that ruined dress, she had dirt smeared across her legs and her hair was a mess. She was naïve and far too trusting. If she was left to fend for herself, she would be caught and brought back to the Fire Nation in no time. Zuko didn't have the heart to leave her to that fate. Like it or not, he would soon be on his way to the Southern Water Tribe.

* * *

><p>Zuko regretted his decision immensely as they finally landed on Water Tribe soil. Well, ice. Appa had touched down near a small village, and before Zuko had even climbed off the beast, a young man around his age came running towards them. He held some sort of strange weapon in his hand. Zuko jumped off quickly and dropped into a defensive stance.<p>

Aang saw the boy running towards them and skipped forward to meet him. She stuck her hand out and smiled. "Hi, I'm Aang!"

The boy had dark brown hair and was dressed in typical Water Tribe garb. He stared at Aang angrily, clutching the weapon tightly but seemingly reluctant to use it against her.

"Get out of my village! Your people have done enough damage here!" The boy advanced, causing Aang to stumble back in bewilderment.

"What? I just want to find a Waterbender!"

The boy yelled and threw the weapon. It arced through the air towards Aang's head. She dodged it easily and Zuko scoffed. The boy was obviously inexperienced at combat. Was this the best warrior the village had?

Iroh stepped forward to explain their arrival. "Young warrior, we come in peace. We have no intentions of harming you or the rest of your people."

The boy didn't say anything. He wasn't even looking at Iroh. He was staring at Aang with a smirk on his face. As Zuko turned his head to look at Aang as well, he saw why the boy was smirking. The weapon he had thrown before was returning, racing through the air towards Aang's head. She was oblivious, staring back at the boy with a tentative smile.

"Aang, duck!" Zuko yelled and launched himself towards her in case she wasn't quick enough. They fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and the weapon flew over them. The boy caught it and looked down at them fiercely.

"Get out and never come back! And take your monster with you!" He motioned towards Appa.

Aang crawled out from beneath Zuko and looked at the boy sadly. "Why are you so angry at us? We never did anything to you. Is it because they're Fire Nation?" The boy's scowl deepened and Aang knew she had found the reason for his hostility. "Look, they are Firebenders, but they're nice! Honest! You see, I'm the Avatar and I need to find a Waterbender to teach me. Zuko and Iroh helped me escape from the Fire Nation when I was captured. Oh, and this is Appa! He's not a monster; he's a Sky Bison."

The boy swallowed hard. "The Avatar? I don't believe you. The Avatar's been missing for over a hundred years."

Aang scratched the back of her head apologetically. "Yeah, about that…" She was about to delve into the short version of her absence when they heard a shout come from the direction of the village. A girl crunched across the ice towards them.

"Sokka! I came to help." She joined the boy and glared at their unwelcome visitors.

"Oh, so your name is Sokka! It's nice to meet you." Aang smiled brightly.

Sokka turned towards the girl. "I thought I told you to stay in the village! And now you just gave the enemy my name."

The girl cocked her head and looked at Aang quizzically. "She's not really acting like an enemy. But I don't know about the other two, especially that one." She pointed at Zuko. "He seems pretty hostile."

Aang giggled and looked at Zuko. Zuko was startled to see something like adoration in her eyes.

"His name is Zuko. He is a little cranky sometimes, but he's a good guy. And Iroh is his uncle. He's really wise and friendly!"

Iroh stepped forward and gave a short bow. "Sokka and….?"

The girl supplied her name, making Sokka grimace. "Katara. I'm Sokka's sister."

Iroh continued. "Sokka and Katara, we have come to your village to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang. She is the Avatar and desires to end the war; however she cannot do so without learning to bend all of the elements."

Katara gasped. "The Avatar?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "They're lying, Katara. The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared over a hundred years ago. You know that as well as I do. That dress she's wearing is obviously Fire Nation. She's probably a Firebender. This is just a trick."

Aang shook her head. "No, I'm not from the Fire Nation. I'm an Airbender. See?" She thrust her arms out and air gusted from her palms. Katara's and Sokka's jaws dropped.

Katara smiled at her. "What's your name?"

"Aang. So, do you have any Waterbenders in your village?"

Sokka clapped his hand over Katara's mouth. "Don't say anything, Katara!"

Katara slapped her brother's hand away. He was too paranoid. Aang seemed like a nice girl, and Zuko and Iroh didn't seem too bad either. If they hadn't burnt down the village yet, they probably weren't going to.

"I'm the only Waterbender in the whole South Pole."

Sokka groaned. Katara needed to learn how to be more cautious. He tightened his grip on his boomerang and prepared to defend his sister.

The visitors didn't spring forward to snatch her. They didn't even start making death threats. Maybe he was being too paranoid…

Aang bounced enthusiastically. "Great! You can teach me!"

Katara shook her head sadly. "I've never even had a teacher of my own. I can barely waterbend myself."

Aang stopped bouncing. "Oh. That means we'll have to go to the Northern Water Tribe." Then her face lit up again. "Hey, maybe you can come with us! We can learn together!"

Katara let hope bubble up inside her. Finally learning how to waterbend would be amazing!

"We can discuss all this in the morning. Sokka and Katara, may we stay in your village for the night?" Iroh asked them politely.

Sokka exploded. "Absolutely not!" He grabbed Katara's arm and started tugging her back towards the village. "We can't help you, so you can leave!"

Katara wrenched her arm away and glared at him. "Sokka, stop being so rude!" She turned to Iroh and nodded. "Yes, of course you can stay!"

Aang beamed and ran forward to give Katara an unexpected hug. Katara smiled and returned the hug. It would be nice to have a girl around her own age to spend some time with. They trudged through the ice and snow towards the village, Zuko and Iroh following with Sokka watching them suspiciously. They might have Katara fooled, but he wasn't going to trust them for one minute.

* * *

><p><em>So, Sokka and Katara are now part of our story! Next chapter should be up soon! <em>


	11. Unwelcome Visitors

_treena-ivy-carter: Sokka will get it... eventually. _

_allo: Don't worry, Katara will be plenty hostile with Zuko and Iroh, right now she's just very excited about the possibility of learning waterbending. And we get that awkward 'enemies sitting across from each other' moment at the end of this chapter. :)_

_DayMoon89: That's how most of the chapters from this point on will be like. Same as the show except of course with Zuko and Iroh, which makes some things happen differently. And the Zukaang is different of course! _

_Jak Spratt: She unfortunately has to take off the cute dress for some warmer clothes, but she'll put it back on later! Maybe. It is a little burnt from the Azula fight. She might just have to wear her nun outfit. She was crying because Zuko had told her earlier that all the Airbenders were gone. She didn't want to cry in front of them so she waited until nighttime. :( And yes, Toph will be a part of the story too. _

_Xxsarbear-chanxX: LOL, thanks for the review!_

_Carrot-Bunny: Momo is on his way! :) Yes, Appa needs to realize he is much fatter than Iroh. And don't worry, there will be no Zutara in this story._

* * *

><p>Katara led them back to the village, Aang chattering happily to her about learning how to waterbend. Katara threw a worried look over her shoulder every once in a while. Aang seemed harmless, but why was she traveling with two Firebenders? Didn't she know what those people were capable of? Aang trusted them, however, so Katara held her tongue. The younger one, Zuko, had a scar over his left eye, which told Katara that at some point, he had been burned by another Firebender. Maybe they were rebels and had had to flee their nation.<p>

Sokka walked closely behind Zuko and Iroh. Bringing them into the village was the last thing he wanted to do, but at least he would be able to keep an eye on them there. Maybe he and Katara could convince the Avatar to ditch them.

They reached the village and Katara called out for everyone. The whole village consisted of young children, mothers, and a few elderly women. They surveyed the visitors Katara and Sokka had brought and many screamed and jumped back when they saw Zuko and Iroh. Some of the women picked up their children and ran back into the tents.

Katara ran forward, trying to reassure them. "No, don't be scared! This is Aang, the Avatar. And her friends are Zuko and Iroh. They won't hurt us!"

An old woman who bore a resemblance to Katara stepped forward. "Katara and Sokka, how could you bring these people here? Do you have no sense?"

Katara looked at her grandmother, her face crestfallen. "Gran-Gran, she's the Avatar! She says she can take me to the Northern Water Tribe! I can learn waterbending!" Her voice was pleading. The opportunity she thought would never come had finally presented itself to her; she would be able to get a teacher.

"Katara, I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense! You are not going anywhere with these people!"

Iroh raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Please, we mean no harm to you or anyone else in this village. We came here to find the Avatar a waterbending teacher. Katara has already informed us that she is the only waterbender in the Southern Water tribe and that she is untrained. Aang offered to bring her to the Northern Water tribe so that they could learn together."

"Enough! Sokka, I want these people out of our village." Gran-Gran grabbed Katara's arm and pulled her away from Aang.

Sokka grabbed one of his weapons. "I never wanted them here in the first place."

Aang hung her head dejectedly and shuffled back to Zuko and Iroh. "Sorry, Katara." She looked up at Sokka. "You don't have to attack us, we'll leave." She clutched Zuko's arm and started to walk away.

Zuko glared at Sokka. Aang had enough to deal with without some guy being a jerk to her. It was hilarious that Sokka thought he would be able to throw them out of the village if they didn't want to leave. Zuko could have defeated him when he was ten years old. Azula could have defeated him when she was five.

Katara got her arm back from her Gran-Gran's grip and ran forward. "If you're throwing Aang out, then I'm leaving too! I'm not letting my one chance at becoming a real waterbender get away!"

Aang kept her hold on Zuko's arm but turned to Katara. "Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family. Maybe you'll have another chance at learning how to waterbend."

Katara's eyes filled with tears and she looked between her brother and grandmother furiously. "I hope you're happy!" She stalked off, but not before bidding a tearful goodbye to Aang.

Sokka looked guilty, but he didn't say anything as Aang, Iroh, Zuko, and Appa walked away from the village. Gran-Gran watched them go, giving a short nod to her grandson. "Katara's upset now, but she'll realize it's for the best. We can't trust any strangers, much less Firebenders."

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><p>Appa was too tired to fly yet so they walked a length away from the village and set up camp, planning to leave shortly before the sun set. They didn't have the equipment to spend a night in the South Pole. Aang put on some warmer clothes that Iroh had packed. They were men's and too big, but they were warmer than that dress.<p>

She sat against Appa and sighed. Katara had seemed so excited to learn waterbending, but because of her grandmother's prejudice she wouldn't be able to travel with them. Aang couldn't understand why everyone in the village had seemed to hate Iroh and Zuko when they didn't even know them. Yes, they were Fire Nation and the Fire Nation had done horrible things to the other nations, but those two weren't responsible for it all. That was like saying all men were like Ozai and wanted to rape young girls.

Zuko stood against Appa, his hands shoved back into the beast's long fur to keep them warm. Appa kept one of his eyes rolled back on Zuko, but he didn't shove him away. He understood that his human companions were cold and that his fur was warm.

Zuko saw Aang shiver and he slid down next to her, hesitating slightly before curling an arm around her shoulders. She smiled and leaned into him.

"Wow, you're warm!" She cuddled into his side further and his heart started beating faster. He suddenly wished that they were alone, that his uncle wasn't standing by Appa's head looking at a map.

Girls had never really interested Zuko before. When he was younger, he had been too busy trying to improve his firebending, and he had thought all girls were crazy anyways. These last three years he had been focusing on finding the Avatar so the thought of getting a girlfriend had been far from his mind. But the way he felt about Aang was different than the way just two friends thought about each other. At least, he thought they were stronger feelings. He had never really had a close friend before so he didn't have anything to compare them to. But as she smiled up at him, he found himself resisting the urge to close the gap between their faces and kiss her certainly soft lips. He knew friends didn't kiss each other, so… he had a crush on the Avatar. The question was, did she have a crush on him?

The answer wasn't as obvious as Zuko would have liked. Aang did smile at him a lot, but she smiled at nearly everyone and everything. She grabbed his arm when she was scared or upset, but that was probably just because she trusted him to protect her. And now, she was certainly not averse to cuddling with him. But that had a simple explanation too; she was cold and he, being a Firebender, had a naturally higher body temperature.

Iroh pretended to scour the map while actually watching his nephew and Aang out of the corner of his eye. He had never seen Zuko voluntarily show physical affection after being banished. He smiled inwardly; Aang would make the perfect girlfriend for Zuko. Matchmaking plans began racing through his head but were interrupted when a shout was heard. He lifted his head and saw Sokka and Katara walking across the ice towards them. They carried several bundles.

"I'm so glad you guys haven't left yet!" Katara beamed at Aang, who peeled herself away from Zuko's side and stood up.

"Katara! And Sokka! What are you guys doing here?"

Sokka answered, his voice teasing as he looked at his little sister. "Katara was planning my and our grandmother's deaths, so I thought maybe I should just give her what she wanted. Gran-Gran isn't happy about this, so she's making me go too."

Aang clapped her hands together and ran forward to give both Katara and Sokka hugs. "So we're all going to the Northern Water Tribe? This is going to be so much fun!"

Sokka grimaced. "Yeah, lots of fun." He tried not to imagine getting roasted in his sleep by Zuko and Iroh.

Zuko noticed his look. "Cheer up, Sokka. My uncle and I will try to contain our urge to set you aflame."

Aang forced herself to giggle. "Haha, Zuko." She turned to Sokka. "Don't worry, Zuko is just kidding. He and Iroh would never do that!"

Everyone clambered onto the bison, Aang taking her place on Appa's head. She turned before giving Appa a "yip-yip." Zuko and his uncle were towards the back of the saddle, Katara and Sokka as far away from them as possible in the front of the saddle. Iroh was smiling politely at the Water Tribe siblings while Zuko was looking up into the sky looking slightly exasperated. He didn't seem very happy about the new members of the group. Katara was doing her best to smile back at Iroh, but Aang could see that she didn't trust the Firebenders either. Sokka was openly hostile, keeping a hand on one of his weapons and an eye on the Firebenders at all times.

Aang sighed. If she couldn't get all of her friends to get along, this was going to be a rough trip.


	12. The Southern Air Temple

_This took longer than expected, but here it is, Chapter 12! I never thought Aang reacted enough during this episode (The Southern Air Temple) when he found the skeleton of Monk Gyatso. If I found out everyone I knew was dead and found the body of my dad, I would probably want to die myself. _

_treena-ivy-carter: At least she doesn't know bloodbending yet! That would be scary! Especially for Zuko and Iroh, since she doesn't like them._

_DayMoon89: I know, the Firebending Masters episode? "Zuko, come dance with me!" So many Zukaang hints! _

_Xxsarbear-chanxX: When I saw the episode with Hama, she reminded me of Gran-Gran. Now I can't stop imagining a violent Gran-Gran! _

_Carrot-Bunny: Angry Katara is scary! Momo is making his arrival very soon..._

_Fire and Ice Dragon: Thanks, I'll put up each chapter as soon as it's finished! _

_Jak Spratt: Aang will do her best to make sure Zuko becomes more positive! :)_

_Halfas Rule: Yes, they probably will cut their hair at some point. Iroh no longer considers himself on the Fire Nation's side, but Zuko isn't sure yet, so the hair cutting will come once he can make that decision. _

_Apathetic Gamer: Thank you! :)_

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><p>Night fell shortly after they left the South Pole, and Aang decided that they would spend the night at the Southern Air Temple. She wasn't looking forward to the empty temple, but she hoped that some of the peacefulness of the monks who had lived there had been left behind and that her old and new set of friends would somehow feel it and get along.<p>

It was dark when they landed and the weather was turning chilly, so Aang quickly gathered some firewood and Iroh lit it on fire. Everyone pulled out their sleeping bags and the Water Tribe siblings set up the tent they had brought. Aang was disappointed when they disappeared into the tent after telling her good night. Sounds of them whispering could be heard for several minutes before they fell silent. Zuko glared at the tent. Aang hated to think badly of anyone, but she knew Zuko's suspicions were probably right; Katara and Sokka didn't trust him and his uncle and they were afraid to be spending the night near them.

Iroh crawled into his sleeping bag and snores emitted from it shortly, but Zuko remained sitting, staring into the fire. Aang sat beside him.

"Zuko? After I learn waterbending and earthbending, I'm going to have to learn how to firebend. Do you think you could teach me?"

He didn't respond right away, continuing to stare into the fire with a scowl on his face. "Your new friends might not like you anymore if you start firebending," he said sarcastically after a few minutes.

"Zuko, I'm sorry for the way they're treating you and your uncle. They just don't know you very well yet, but I'm sure once they do you guys will be great friends!"

Zuko scoffed. "I think you overestimate people. Not everyone is as nice as you. Those peasants will never stop seeing me as the enemy." He didn't add that he saw them as enemies too. They hated his nation, when all its people were trying to do was share their prosperity with the world.

Aang's mouth twisted in confusion. First, he had basically told her she was naïve. But then he had complimented her, saying she was nice. And then he had called Sokka and Katara peasants, which was rather rude. And her question remained unanswered. Zuko was in a grumpy mood tonight.

Aang was just about to lie down to sleep when she heard a chattering sound. It was oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite remember where she had heard it before. She stood up and peered into the darkness to try and find the source of the noise. Zuko looked at her quizzically and opened his mouth to speak, but Aang put a finger to her lips, warning him not to speak. He stood and joined her in looking into the darkness.

The chattering sound came again, this time a bit closer. Aang took a few steps away from the fire, but Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"It could be someone looking for us," he whispered. He was turning to wake his uncle when Aang suddenly gasped in delight. She rushed out into the darkness, a wide smile on her face.

Zuko groaned. When would this girl learn to be more cautious? He ran after her, making sure to keep his eyes peeled for any sign of intruders.

Aang ran inside the temple and Zuko followed, calling after her to stop. She either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him, putting on a burst of speed, and he lost sight of her.

When Zuko finally caught up with her, she was kneeling in a large room with an open doorway. His stomach dropped when he saw what was in the room. There were several Air Nomad monk skeletons, some still wearing wooden bead necklaces. There was also evidence of Fire Nation soldiers; helmets or other armor. The floor was scorched in many places and a statue that had once stood in the center of the room lay shattered on the ground.

Aang had her hands covering her face and Zuko could hear her sobs. He rushed over to her and, without a second thought, swept her up into a hug. She collapsed into him, her crying intensifying. He held her until the cries were much quieter and she looked up at him.

"I really am the last Airbender." Her voice was broken, hopeless. Zuko couldn't imagine what it would be like to wake up one day and find that everyone you knew, all those that you loved, your entire race, was gone. And murdered brutally, all to make sure one girl didn't survive. But she had. And now her world would never be the same.

He picked her up and carried her out of the room. He set her down lightly on her feet and she wiped the tears from her face. "That chattering sound we heard was a Flying Lemur. I was trying to catch him. We used to keep them as pets."

Zuko could hear the sorrow in her voice as she spoke. The Western Air Temple had been deserted, which had upset her, but it hadn't had any skeletons. He had hoped that they would leave early in the morning and she wouldn't be able to look around the temple, potentially finding evidence of the genocide which had taken place so long ago.

He took her arm to lead her back to the campsite. "It's late, we should get to bed. We can look for the lemur in the morning before we leave, ok?" His uncle would have been surprised to hear the gentleness with which his nephew spoke.

Aang nodded and they walked back to the campsite slowly. When they got there, Iroh was sitting up. He asked them if everything was ok, noticing with concern the tear stains on Aang's face but also noticing with happiness Zuko's hand on Aang's arm. Perhaps he wouldn't have to play matchmaker after all and nature would simply take its course? Zuko responded that everything was fine and Iroh went back to sleep.

Zuko got into his sleeping bag and was surprised when Aang placed her own right next to his. She crawled into it, lying on her side with her face turned away from him but she was still close enough to touch. Zuko suppressed the urge to throw his arm over her and pull her against him. As he rolled over onto his back and closed his eyes, he found himself hoping that they wouldn't have to search very hard for the lemur. He didn't want Aang to find any more skeletons. He hated seeing her cry.

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><p>Momo crept closer to the campsite of the mysterious people. He hadn't liked being chased by the girl earlier, but maybe these strangers could be friends. A groan caught his attention and he turned to its source. A large, fluffy, white Sky Bison!<p>

The two animals moved closer to each other, sniffing inquisitively. Eventually they decided the other could be trusted and Appa lay down with a snort of contentment. He had always liked the Flying Lemurs at his temple and had missed them these past few days.

Momo chattered excitedly before flying on top of Appa and settling down on his head to sleep. The temple was very lonely, and the bison seemed friendly.

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><p>Sokka couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Katara had fallen asleep hours ago, and the campsite had been silent for a while now. Aang and the Jerk with the Scar had talked for a while then for some reason run out of earshot. They had been gone for a while and then returned to have the older jerk ask them if everything was alright. The Jerk with the Scar had said everything was fine but it had sounded like a lie. After that there had no more noises, save for a groan from Appa and some weird animal's chattering.<p>

Sokka fell asleep uneasily, praying to the Moon spirit that he and Katara would both be safe when they woke up. And that somehow, Aang would agree when he talked to her about leaving behind the Firebenders, and just the three of them continuing on to the Northern Water Tribe.

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><p><em>Will Sokka be able to convince Aang to leave Zuko and Iroh behind? Or will Aang be furious he suggests it?<em>


	13. The Statue

_DayMoon89: I know, that part is always so sad! Thanks for the review!_

_treena-ivy-carter: You're right, of course! :)_

_allo: Don't worry, they don't get into a huge fight, and Zuko and Iroh will get the chance to prove themselves trustworthy. _

_Jak Spratt: Aang is very guilty, as you'll get to see a little in this chapter. Sokka is very paranoid, but he'll calm down eventually. :)_

_AngelNefertan: Yes, it probably will, but that won't happen for a while. Their relationship is going to develop slowly. _

_Carrot-Bunny: Thanks for the long review! I know Aang and Gyatso aren't related, but he was like a father figure to Aang, so that's why I compared it to if I had found my dad's body. If I do make a mistake like that though, you have the right to set Azula on me! :) Also, I think Iroh will count on Aang's status of being a nun to keep him from becoming a Great-Uncle too soon! _

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><p>When morning came and Aang woke, she tried to put what she had seen the night before out of her mind. She rolled up her sleeping bag tightly and moved to put it on Appa's saddle, emitting a squeak when she saw that the lemur she had seen the night before was resting on Appa's head. It flew down to her, landing on her shoulder and grabbing her short hair with its small hands.<p>

"Hey, little guy! Why'd you run away last night?" She reached up a hand and tentatively stroked him. He made several noises and bounced up and down, waving his arms. "I guess I must have scared you. I'm glad you came back."

Zuko approached with a peach and held it out to Aang. "Here, eat some breakfast."

Aang reached out to take it but the lemur was quicker, snatching it out of Zuko's outstretched hand and taking a bite of the sweet fruit. Aang laughed and patted the lemur behind the ears.

Katara and Sokka walked up, ignoring Zuko but saying hello to Aang.

"What is that?" Sokka pointed at the lemur. "Can I eat it for breakfast?" His mouth began to water as he thought of the fresh meat which would probably be delicious roasted over the fire.

Aang put an arm over the lemur protectively. "No, Sokka! It's a Flying Lemur." She smiled. "He's the newest addition to our group."

Katara smiled as well and reached out a hand for the lemur to inspect before she rubbed his head. "What are you going to name him?"

Aang thought for a minute and watched as the lemur finished off the peach. "I'll call him… Momo."

Katara and Sokka walked away to get some breakfast and Zuko went to help his uncle pack up the campsite. Aang turned to Appa, Momo still clinging to her shoulder.

"We're all that's left of the Air Nomads. We have to stick together."

Appa groaned in agreement, but Momo suddenly spread his arms and flew into the air. He looked back at Aang as he landed on a nearby bush and chattered. It was obvious to Aang that Momo wanted to show her something. She glanced backwards at the rest of the group and saw they were all still packing up or eating breakfast. She walked towards Momo, hoping that whatever he had to show her wouldn't take too long. Maybe she could be back before the others missed her. Momo jumped into the air again, flying low and not too far ahead of her, landing every once in a while to let her catch up.

Momo stopped in front of a huge wooden door with a woodcut symbol in the center comprised of three air symbols protruding from the surface. Attached to the symbols were tubes that ended in two horns near the bottom of the symbol.

"What's in there?"

Aang jumped and spun around. Sokka stood behind her, staring at the door curiously.

She folded her arms across her chest. "You followed me?"

Sokka shrugged. "I saw you leaving and decided to come along. You really shouldn't wander around by yourself, you know."

Aang wasn't unhappy that Sokka had joined her, but she was upset that someone had managed to follow her and she hadn't noticed. She turned back to the door. "I think it's the Air Temple Sanctuary. Gyatso told me I would visit it when I came to this temple. I'm not sure what's inside though."

"Ok, who's Gyatso?"

Aang sighed. "She was a nun at the Eastern Air Temple, where I lived." She focused her attention on the door. She stepped forward and raised her arms, shooting jets of air from each palm into the two horns. The air ran through the tubes and the air symbols flipped, unlocking the door. The door creaked open and Aang walked in confidently. Sokka followed, taking his boomerang out of its case.

Inside the dark room were hundreds of statues arrayed in a pattern.

"Statues? That's it?" Sokka groaned. He had been hoping for something a little more exciting, preferably some cured meats.

Aang walked slowly, looking at the statues. "They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth, and fire. That's the Avatar cycle." Aang suddenly realized the significance of all the statues. "Sokka, these are my past lives." She stopped in front of a statue of a Firebender and stared into its stone eyes.

"Who's that?"

Aang shook her head slightly, coming out of the trance she had been in. "Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me."

Sokka frowned. "How do you know that?"

Aang cocked her head, still looking at the statue. "I don't know, I just do."

Sokka rolled his eyes. Could she get any weirder? "Well, come on, we have to go. The others are probably wondering where we went." He was also uncomfortable with the fact that Katara was alone with Zuko and Iroh.

"How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't even talk to him?"

Sokka threw his hands into the air. "How should I know?" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the room.

They walked back quickly, but Sokka stepped in front of Aang before they entered the camp. "Wait, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Is it about eating Momo? Because the answer is still no." Aang smiled, obviously teasing.

Sokka shook his head. "No, it's serious. I don't think we should be traveling with those Firebenders. I know you think you can trust them, but it's just not safe. Haven't you seen what those people can do?"

Aang's eyes narrowed and she replied angrily. "Sokka, do you know why I was missing from the world for so long?"

"No, Katara told me to not bother you about it, that you would tell us when you were ready. But believe me, I've been dying to know."

"I've already told you I lived in the Eastern Air Temple. Well, the nuns told me I was the Avatar and they were going to send me to this temple so I could complete my training. I got scared and ran away, but there was a storm and Appa and I were caught right in the middle of it. We got swept into the ocean and almost drowned, but I guess my Avatar State was triggered and I froze us into a giant iceberg. We were in there for a hundred years. Zuko and Iroh broke us out." She stepped closer to Sokka, her face turned upwards to look him directly in the eyes. "I'll admit that Zuko has done some bad things, but it's nothing compared to what I did. I abandoned the world like a coward, and now my people are gone because of it. If you can forgive me for my mistake, you should be able to forgive Zuko for his."

"But… you didn't mean to disappear!" Sokka opened his mouth to continue but Aang put a hand on his arm, silencing him.

"Sokka, please just give them a chance. And tell Katara to do the same."

Sokka nodded and they entered the camp together. Zuko stared at Sokka threateningly. He had seen him talking with Aang at the edge of the campsite and he had been able to tell from Aang's posture that she had been upset. And then Aang had put her hand on Sokka's arm... where had they disappeared to anyways?

Sokka noticed the threatening look but ignored it, moving to help Katara put the tent on Appa's saddle. He would try to be friendly because Aang had asked him to, but if Zuko stepped over the line, and Aang wouldn't leave him behind, Katara and him would have to be the ones who left.


	14. The Warriors of Kyoshi

_I apologize for how long this took, I've had no time to write lately! _

_treena-ivy-carter: Yes, he is! :)_

_DayMoon89: He will! Thanks!_

_that guy in the sky: They'll warm up to them eventually, the thing is they don't know Aang very well yet either so just the fact that she trusts Zuko and Iroh isn't enough to make Sokka and Katara trust them. Anyways, I'm glad you like the story! :)_

_CarrotBunny: No Sokaang either, although Zuko thinks there is! Yeah, since Aang's a girl she had to come from either the Western or the Eastern Air Temple since they were the girl temples. Yay, long reviews!_

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><p>"You have no idea where we're going, do you?"<p>

Aang turned back to look at Sokka sheepishly. "Well, I know it's near water…"

Sokka looked over the edge of the saddle. They were flying over a seemingly endless stretch of ocean. "I guess we're getting close then."

Zuko reached his hand out for the map and Aang handed it to him reluctantly. Sokka and Zuko began poring over the map, trying to figure out where exactly they were.

Katara paused from her work of sewing up a hole in a pair of Sokka's pants to look over the map with them.

"Katara, navigating is men's work. Now, why don't you get back to your sewing?" Sokka pulled the map away from Katara's view.

"Excuse me? Are you saying women can't navigate?" Katara didn't return to her work, instead throwing the pants to the side and looking at Sokka accusingly.

"Simple: girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's just the natural order of things." Sokka shrugged, continuing to look at the map.

Katara picked up the pants and threw them at her brother. "All done with your pants! And look what a great job I did!" Her voice was sarcastic and the pants still had an obvious hole.

Zuko chuckled. He didn't know if it was just Sokka specifically who was sexist, or just the way women were treated in the Water Tribes, but Katara obviously didn't stand for it.

"There it is! Kyoshi Island!" Iroh had been watching the water beneath them as they flew and he was the first to spot their destination.

Sokka was still staring at his pants in horror as Appa began to fly lower.

Aang saw his expression and laughed. "Don't worry, Sokka! Where we're going, you won't need pants!"

They landed on the crescent-shaped island and stepped onto the beach. Aang beamed as she looked out at the ocean.

"Is this stop absolutely necessary? Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out for the night?" Sokka stood near Appa, eager to get back in the air.

Despite their brief argument earlier, Katara agreed with her brother. "Sokka's right. At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until Spring."

Iroh nodded and Zuko, reluctant though he was to side against Aang and with the Water Tribe siblings, had to admit that they were right.

Aang continued to look over the water, bringing up a hand to shade her face. "But Appa's tired already, aren't you boy?" She nudged the bison with her elbow. "I said, aren't you boy?"

Appa yawned, but it was clear that he wasn't as exhausted as Aang said he was.

Zuko was just about to tell Aang that they should get going when she gasped excitedly and pointed out to the water. A giant Koi fish could be seen jumping above the water.

"Ah, an Elephant Koi. Such graceful creatures." Iroh gazed at the fish happily, secretly pleased that they had stopped. Spending the whole day on a bison with a bunch of teenagers was not exactly relaxing. And he hadn't spent much time at Kyoshi Island before, having only visited it once while searching for the Avatar with Zuko. Although, they really should keep traveling. He didn't want to scare the younger members of the group but he knew Ozai had probably sent some very aggressive people after them.

To everyone's surprise, Aang suddenly pulled her shirt over her head and quickly removed her pants as well. "That's why we're here; Elephant Koi! I'm going to ride one!" She ran and splashed into the water, clad in only her underclothes.

"Wait, Aang! Come back here!" Zuko waved his arms frantically. He remembered a particularly unpleasant sea serpent from his previous visit to Kyoshi Island.

Aang continued to swim until she finally dived out of sight and rose suddenly on the back of one of the giant Koi.

Momo chattered and jumped up and down, enjoying the spectacle before him.

Zuko continued to shout to Aang, Iroh joining, while Sokka and Katara looked at them in confusion.

"AANG! You need to get out of the water now! There's an Unagi in there!" Zuko ran forward, preparing to strip his clothes off and dive into the water himself.

Katara turned to Iroh. "What's an Unagi?"

"A very big sea serpent. Not pleasant, I'm afraid. I believe they eat the Elephant Koi."

Sokka raised one of his eyebrows. "How do you know there's an Unagi here? Have you been here before?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Zuko diving into the water. Aang hadn't responded to his shouts and was still riding the Koi.

The remaining members of the group ran forward to the edge of the beach, watching anxiously as a dark shape suddenly loomed behind the Koi Aang was riding. A serrated fin rose from the water and Aang screamed when she saw it. She jumped from the Koi just as the Unagi pulled it underwater and began swimming frantically back towards the shore. Zuko met her halfway and grabbed her arm. They swam back together rapidly, collapsing onto the shore.

Aang stood and blasted herself and Zuko with air, drying them. She put her clothes back on and smiled guiltily at Zuko. "Sorry, I couldn't hear what you were shouting. I guess we better go now." She helped Zuko to his feet and the whole group trudged slowly back to Appa. Momo followed, glancing back warily at the water.

The attack came without warning. Aang felt someone grab her shirt and she was blindfolded, and she heard Sokka beside her grunt as he was thrown to the ground. A frustrated but somewhat muffled squeal was heard from Katara. Aang was forced to her knees and she felt someone beginning to bind her wrists when her attacker was suddenly pushed away. She heard the roar of fire being bent and she smiled and stood, ripping the blindfold from her face.

Sokka and Katara were already bound and blindfolded, lying on the ground. Iroh and Zuko, however, were fighting against the six green-clad warriors who had ambushed them. Their faces were painted white with red around their eyes. They used fans as weapons. Momo was helping Zuko fight one of the warriors, pulling at her hair. Aang shifted into a stance and blew the warriors backwards. They gasped in surprise. They remained on their feet and one stepped forward. She was clearly the leader.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Her voice was harsh.

Iroh removed Sokka and Katara's blindfolds and Sokka scoffed when he saw the warriors.

"Wait a second, a bunch of girls just ambushed us?"

The leader glared down at him."If you don't explain why you're here, we'll throw you back in the water with the Unagi."

Iroh raised his hands non-threateningly. "I'm sorry for any trouble we've caused."

Aang cut in before he could say more. "It's my fault. I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the Elephant Koi."

The warrior glared at Aang. "Kyoshi's stayed out of the war so far. We'd like it to stay that way. Now, explain what just happened. Did you just airbend?"

Aang nodded. "Yes, I'm an Airbender."

Another one of the warriors spoke. "But that's impossible! If you're an Airbender, then you must be the Avatar!"

"Yep, that's me!"

The lead warrior gripped her fan threateningly. "Then why are you traveling with two Firebenders?"

"My nephew and I are helping Aang on her journey to master the elements. We have no desire to destroy your island and we do not agree with what our nation is doing."

Zuko glanced at his uncle. He still considered himself a loyal Fire Nation citizen. He was helping Aang, for now, but he wasn't completely against his nation.

Aang nodded her head vigorously. "Zuko and Iroh have helped me out of tight spots before. They can be trusted, believe me."

The warrior looked Zuko and Iroh over warily before giving a curt nod. "Ok. Why don't you all come into the village? Everyone will be very excited to meet the Avatar." The other warriors removed Sokka and Katara's bindings and they all went into the village together.

An older man with long gray hair approached them. "Suki, who are these people?"

"Oyagi, this is the Avatar and her friends." Suki turned to Aang. "Oyagi is the leader of Kyoshi Island."

Oyagi's eyes widened in surprise. "The Avatar?"

A passing villager heard and stopped. "The Avatar, on Kyoshi!"

It wasn't long before a small crowd had gathered around them. One villager screamed in delight and was so excited he began to foam at the mouth before falling to the ground in a faint.

Aang smiled. She didn't know her presence could make people that happy!

"Look, Aang! That's Avatar Kyoshi." Katara was pointing to a large statue of Aang's past life. It was faded and in disrepair.

Zuko glanced back from the statue to Aang. Kyoshi had obviously been a tall, sturdy woman. It was hard to believe Aang had been like that. Then again, it was even harder to believe Aang had once been a man.

Suki and the other warriors brought the gang to a house that they could stay in for the night. It was getting dark already, so they gladly accepted the offer.

Zuko was astonished that the villagers didn't kick them out. He was used to everyone hating and being frightened of him and his uncle. He hoped they wouldn't stay in the village too long however. He knew as well as his uncle did that someone was likely after them.

Sokka, on the other hand, hoped they would stay on the island long enough so that he could prove that a bunch of girls couldn't take him down.

Iroh and Zuko were right in their suspicions. Someone dangerous was very close to finding them. Ozai had sent his greatest ally after them, and it was not going to be a very happy family reunion.

* * *

><p><em>Uh-oh, guess who's coming to visit?<em>


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